The Only Exception
by Jasperrox
Summary: Disclaimer: Characters and plot lines that appeared in the series Supernatural are not mine. Belong to Eric Kripke, the CW, etc, etc…but I wish Dean and/or Castiel belonged to me just for a day Summary: Dean and Jo have to co-exist in the same apartment after Sam and Ruby move in together. They'll either kill each other or fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

**Fifteen – Taylor Swift**

_'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you  
You're gonna believe them  
When you're fifteen and your first kiss  
Makes your head spin 'round  
But in your life you'll do things greater than  
Dating the boy on the football team  
But I didn't know it at fifteen  
_

Prologue

_6 years ago…_

"Ready or not here I come!"

Jo Harvelle tore her hands away from her eyes and spun around. The Kansas woods shimmered with an eerie silence that would frighten anyone who didn't live there but she sensed her friends nearby. Without hesitation she ran through the woods, her feet crushing the grass and sticks as she did. Her ears caught the tail end of a giggle.

She headed toward the sound but when she got to Sam's usual hiding spot it was empty. She heard Gabriel's giggle in the distance and turned to follow when she heard a voice.

"A little old for hide and seek, aren't you?"

Jo turned and glared at her best friend's older brother, Dean Winchester. "It's fun," she dismissed him with a haughty sniff. They used to be close…when her mom started dating his dad, John. They had spent days and evenings together and she'd become practically like a sister to the boys. That is until the dayDean woke up and decided she wasn't worth his time. He never talked to her, or snuck into the bar for the chocolate chip homework sessions in the afternoons. He never told her raunchy jokes any longer. Seems only the older, silly, busty girls snagged his attention now. Who cared? She refused to follow him around like a little kid. Let Sam do that..he was his brother. "Not that you would understand fun anymore. What are you doing out here anyway?"

He got up from the ground and walked toward her with that easy confident glide. He stood on long muscled legs. His hair was longer than its usual neat style because it was summer and the sun had made parts of it lighter, an intriguing mix of colors from brown to gold. Like her Chex cereal, Jo thought. His face was all lean, angular curves, set off by a perfect set of lips that have always intrigued her. His clear green eyes gleamed with intelligence and a perpetual hint of pain. Jo knew what that felt like. That was one quality she had once thought bonded them as friends. Dean was a cool kid who kept to himself and had two friends, his younger brother Sam and his very polar opposite, Castiel. She always wondered how Sam had turned out so different.

"You should be careful in the woods. You could get lost."

"I know my way around better than you."

He gave her a dismissive grin. "Probably do. You should have been a boy."

Her temper spiked. She clenched her fists at her sides and tossed her ponytail. "And you should have been a girl…that way you could date Castiel without everyone making fun of you two like they normally do."

Direct hit. Now he looked annoyed. "You should learn to act like a real girl."

Jo's eyebrows pulled together in a frown. "How so?"

"Make-up. Looking pretty. Kissing boys."

She'd never spend her precious earned pennies on lip gloss. She saved her money for the things that she really wanted. She'd just bought a beautiful bowie knife. Joe made a gagging sound. "Gross."

"Bet you've never kissed anyone before."

She heard the taunting tone in his voice. At 15, most of her girlfriends had already had their first kisses but the thought always made her stomach turn. She'd rather die than admit that to Dean. "Yes I have."

"Who?"

"None of your business," she bristled uncomfortably, trying to make her escape. "I'm outta here."

"I dare you."

Jo's sneaker stopped mid-flight. "Dare me to what?" She could never resist a challenge.

"Show me you can kiss," Dean gave her a half grin.

Her stomach did a somersault and her heartbeat thundered, even her palms sweat. She made a face. "With you?"

He laughed confidently "I knew it."

Jo stuck her tongue out at him. "Why would I want to kiss you? I hate you."

"Sure you do," he continued "okay, forget it. I just wanted to see if you were a real girl . Now I know you're not."

His words sliced through her as he walked away.

Before she could control her voice, she yelled "Wait!"

He stood with his back to her for a few moments, as if considering her plea. Slowly he turned around. "What?"

She forced herself to close the distance and stopped in front of him. Her legs shook. Her body felt funny. Almost like she was going to throw up. "I know how to kiss. And…and I'll…I'll show you."

"Fine. Go ahead." He cocked his hip in an arrogant stance like he did this every day and was already getting bored.

Drawing on her knowledge from the movies, she leaned forward. _I will not screw this up. Relax my lips. Deep breath. Angle my head more to the side so we don't bump nose. God, what if I hit his chin and make him bleed? No Joana Beth Harvelle, do not think that. Kissing is a piece of cake._

No big deal. No big deal. No big deal…..

His breath was light and warm as it rushed over her lips. She tilted her head upward and paused.

Then his lips touched hers.

An array of sensations passed over her all at once. The touch of his fingers on her shoulders. The gentle pressure of his mouth. The earthy scent of the woods mixed with Dean's natural scent.

In those moments, he'd given her a rare gift. Her heart burst open and a strange feeling ran through her veins. Her first real kiss. How long had she dreaded and feared the experience, horribly afraid she'd be bad at it. That's why she pretended to hate anything about boys.

He pulled away slowly and her eyes drifted open. Their gazes met and locked. Her emotions poured through her in roaring, choppy waves. She held her breath and waited.

An odd expression crossed his face. He studied her as if he'd never seen her before. For one glorious moment, she saw something behind those clear green eyes-a shred of vulnerability that he never shared..at least not with her. But when she blinked, it was gone and if she didn't know any better, she would have thought she imagined it. His lips curved into a smile.

She smiled back. She felt safe. She knew he wouldn't make fun of her or ignore her any longer. Things changed. What she denied and protested for so long suddenly popped out of her mouth without thought or consequence.

"I love you."

At that moment, she didn't question his response, confident that he'd felt the same sparks she did when they kissed. She waited for him to agree, waited for their entire relationship to finally change after that one perfect kiss.

But instead he laughed softly.

She blinked, not understanding his reaction.

"You're too young to know what love is," he said in a calm tone. "You're still a child." He shook his head in mocking way, as if the thought would keep him amused for days on end. For laughs with Sam and Castiel, maybe even Michael and Balthazar. And his real girlfriends.

Jo stood there in the woods, only able to watch stunned, for once not able to make a smart mouth comeback.

"I gotta go. See ya kid."

As he walked away a giggle rose through the air. With slow horror, she turned and caught sight of Bela Talbot waiting for Dean to join her. Big mouth Bela…now everyone would know.

In that moment, she made the decisions to never let Dean or any other boy humiliate her again. That had to be the only reason he'd pushed her that way.

She turned and ran, hide and go seek forgotten, and wondered what the ache in her chest was.

Of course she was still too young to pinpoint the actual cause.

Years later, she'd finally understand.

Her heart had been broken.


	2. It Doesn't Have to Be

_**It Doesn't Have To Be- Erasure**_

_You are one side  
I am on the other  
Are we divided?  
Why can't we live together  
There are no rights  
This isn't your decision  
We need to talk of changing things  
But no one wants to listen  
It doesn't have to be like that_

Present Day

Jo Harvelle stormed through her apartment slamming the door as loud as she could. The more of the mess she saw in the apartment the more angry she became. Dishes were piled in the sink and an empty milk carton sat on the counter. A few socks were strewn near the couch along with a pair of jeans..and what was that? A bra?

She exhaled slowly before she exploded. That was so not her bra. Oh no way..that did it. She was officially tired and pissed off. She was done with both of her roommates and wasn't taking it any longer. She pounded on Castiel's door first and when he didn't answer, she opened the door. Empty. Hmmm…

Stalking over to Dean's door, she pounded loudly. "I know you're in there. You'd better come out NOW or I'm coming in. I don't care who you have in there."

There were giggling noises from inside the room along with the deep bass of Dean's voice and the sounds of some shuffling. The wait and the stupid giggling only made her more furious. She tapped her foot impatiently. She was fully prepared to walk in before her hung-over disheveled shirtless roommate opened the door.

"What do you want, Jo?"he asked annoyed.

Although she'd seen Dean shirtless a number of times, it still made her heart pound.

"I'm not doing this anymore, Dean-o."

Either he was still drunk or thoroughly confused but he furrowed his brow "Not doing what?"

"You skipped class. AGAIN. I had to cover for you. AGAIN. It's not my responsibility that you can't handle school and working in the bar and being a babe magnet. I'm not covering for you anymore."

He ran his hands through his hair and winced. He had a headache but Jo couldn't have cared less. "Jo, I asked you to cover for me one time in class. You continued to do it on your own. I never asked you to keep doing it."

Jo frowned. He was right…he had only asked her that one time but why she kept doing it, she didn't know. She was just trying to be helpful since he had just started taking college classes at Sam's urging. The fact that they'd chosen the same history class had her over the moon, until he'd stopped showing up.

"What do you want me to do, Jo?" he asked her as he moved out of the way as his companion moved between them toward the bathroom

Jo looked at the girl as she ran by and just shook her head in disgust. "I don't care what you do but I'm not covering for you. It's time for you to grow up."

"Calm the hell down. It's not that big a deal." Typical Winchester response.

"You'd better get your act together before you flunk out."

"Whatever," he mumbled as he stumbled past her to get to the bathroom. He raised his arm to knock but seemed to think the better of it and just opened the door. Jo cringed as she heard more giggles and then some clattering around the bathroom before the shower turned on.

Deciding she'd heard enough, she walked to the kitchen to get something to eat.

She'd been pretty excited when Castiel had offered to let her stay with him and Dean when Sam Winchester asked her roommate Ruby to live with him. It seemed pretty logical that Sam move into their place while Cas said neither he and Dean would mine Jo moving into Sam's old room. It was almost an even swap and she was happy that they'd saved her the bother of having to find a new roommate. She had never actually lived with boys before but Ellen had her share of boyfriends who would occasionally crash at their place. From this experience, Jo knew that that boys could be messy and disorganized. And sometimes, they made her nervous when they drank too much. She didn't expect to have that feeling with Dean or Cas.

Jo adored Castiel, as most people who knew him did. He was the sexless older brother that she'd always wanted. He was a patient person with great listening skills. They were so good that almost every person in their social circle had once spent an evening sharing their tales of heartbreak with him. To Jo's knowledge, Cas had never had a serious girlfriend although he had almost as many admirers as Dean. In high school, he preferred to focus on his studies instead of women but living with the Winchester boys in college had loosened the reign on his personality. His social skills were rusty but he was basically a sweet guy. She and Dean had known each other forever. No matter what she did or how well they got along nowadays, her mind always took her back to that day in the forest. She could never forget although Dean had certainly had. As he grew older, he became nicer as he realized that she was one of Sam's dear friends but he never treated her as more of a little sister instead of a potential love interest. And Dean certainly had quite a few love interests. Jo never understood how despite his obvious womanizing ways, women still seemed to follow him around. He'd been the cause of almost all the broken hearts in Lawrence, Kansas. Of course he hadn't really given any of them a serious thought but still they lined up for his attentions. Jo had once asked Sam what the draw was to someone who had so obviously had little regard for feelings or women in general. Sam sighed and explained losing their mother in a house fire..Dean remembered her clearly and Sam suspected that he missed her affection. He sought it in any woman that he could get but never got attached so he wouldn't get hurt again. Jo thought that made sense but it still didn't give Dean the license to steal hearts so easily..particularly hers. She hated how much she used to think about being his girlfriend.

Not that she ever wondered about it anymore..but she couldn't blame these poor defenseless girls. Dean was still a sight to behold. Time turned him from a beautiful boy into a handsome man with eyes so green you could find yourself drowning in them if you weren't careful. And don't even get started on his lips. Lips that she'd had the chance to kiss once, so long ago. And sadly, she still remembered the expression on his face after he pulled back, a mixture of surprise and something that looked very much like fear. His ardor, however, was short lived. The next second he went back to treating her like a child and acted as if it had never happened. She remembered being crushed that at his reaction. Shortly after, she entered into a serious relationship with Garth Fitzgerald, almost as if to prove that Dean had no effect on her. From then on, Dean usually went out of his way to keep her at arms length.

Living with him was more difficult than she'd ever thought it would be, she thought as she opened the refrigerator to examine the contents. She knew there were no groceries because if she didn't go shopping, both Castiel and Dean would live on takeout. Both loved junk food and between cheeseburgers and pie, she wasn't sure how they were amazingly fit. She found a leftover container of Chinese food and pulled it out. After smelling and examining its appearance, she pulled herself on the counter and began to eat.

A few minutes later, Anna Milton from Jo's psych class, a petite red head, fully dressed, ran through the apartment waving and smiling before she reached the door. Jo smiled mechanically wondered as she waved at the hapless girl if Dean even knew her name.

As if on cue with her thoughts, Dean, in all his shirtless glory, walked into the kitchen. He didn't seem at all embarrassed or ashamed of his actions. Jo hadn't really expected him to be. She heard him sigh as he opened the refrigerator door, probably looking for the same container she was eating out of now.

"Mind if we share?" not waiting for her reply before talking some noodles out of the carton with his fingers.

Jo tried to look surprised "What? Are you talking to me again?"

He rolled his eyes at her and reached back into the carton for more noodles and then piled them into his mouth. Afterwards he pulled himself on the counter next to where she was sitting.

"So, who was your friend?"

He rolled his eyes at her as he chewed.

"Do you even know her name?"

He shrugged and kept eating. Jo couldn't help but laugh.

"You know you could have at least walked her to the door."

"She knew where it was," he said managing to take the carton from her hand. "What's your point?"

Jo looked at him and realized he really didn't see anything wrong with how he treated his date. "Nothing."

They continued to share the food quietly in an uncomfortable silence. She was still mad and he wasn't improving her mood by taking her food away.

"Have you seen Cas?" she asked remembering he hadn't been in his room.

"He had a meeting with his new biology partner."

"Oh," Jo said before taking another bite of noodles.

"Last night," Dean added.

"Last night what?" Jo frowned.

"He had a meeting with his lab partner last night."

Jo's nostrils flared in surprise. Castiel wasn't the type to have one night stands.

Before she could respond, the door slammed and Castiel walked in looking tired but happy.

"Good morning young people," he announced cheerfully as he settled on the couch, his dark hair tousled and his blue eyes sparkling.

"Someone got lucky last night." Dean said taking the Chinese food the living room to join him..

"Eww gross." Jo called to them.

"Not at all," Castiel replied with a smile on his face. "Just happy to be alive this morning."

"Why? Did your new lab partner get rough?" Dean laughed taking a seat on the couch picking up the remote and handing Cas the carton of food.

"Maybe," Castiel offered vaguely slurping noodles, changing the tv. "Oh look Sportscenter."

Dean looked at him expectantly but Cas didn't spill.

Jo knew Cas was evading Dean's questions and it was just a matter of seconds before Dean either went full on Spanish Inquisition or completely became submerged in the sports news. She'd have to say something to them fast before she lost the opportunity.

"Guys?"

Nothing. She tried again.

"UH GUYS?"

They turned to look at her. "I hate to disturb your male bonding but I wanted to let you know, I'm not cleaning up after you two anymore. This place is a mess and it's not my mess so you two need to clean it up before you head out today."

Both boys looked at her blankly.

"Jo, get out of the way. You're blocking the TV," Dean grumbled.

"Excuse me?" Jo asked

"I don't want to hear about cleaning the apartment. If I wanted someone to tell me what to do, I'd still be living at home with John."

"Come on you two," Cas said sensing the upcoming storm."Don't start."

"Well it's true. I lived here first and I don't need you around to tell me when to clean my room. You need to quit acting like such a bitch."

"Oh Dean" Cas said hiding his face with his hands. "Please tell me you aren't resorting to name calling with Jo."

"Bitch? I'm a bitch? I wouldn't be talking,buster. You don't even want to get me started on you. You don't want me to say what everyone is thinking about you and the everlasting revolving door of women that you parade in and out of this place."

In a flash he was up on his feet and dangerously close to her face. "That is absolutely none of your business."

"Seriously Dean, Jo… isn't there like a rule that says you can't argue on a Friday?" Castiel pleaded.

Jo could feel her pulse race. She'd seen Dean angry a number of times but she'd never been on the receiving end and even as she was scared, she was a bit thrilled.

He took a step closer to her and she instinctively moved back.

"I don't care about your business. You make me sick sometimes, you know that?"

Both were so engrossed in each other that neither noticed Castiel moving slowly of the couch to flee the room.

Dean moved closer again almost as if drawn to her. He could feel her trembling but it didn't seem as if she was afraid. It was almost electric. The urge to touch her was overwhelming and he didn't like it at all. He killed the thought the only way he knew how.

"See the funny thing is Jo, I don't care what you think of me. I can do whatever I want and you know what? So can you. So if you don't like the way we do things here or you don't like the way I spend my nights, you can find another place to live. Either way, I don't care."

He pushed past her to get to his room slamming his door with a loud crash. Jo suddenly felt the urge to cry and she didn't really understand why. Tears welled up and began to fall. She jumped when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Joanna…You know he has a temper," Castiel said softly trying to make excuses for Dean, the customary cleanup crew. "Try not to agitate him. I'll straighten up."

She gave Cas a halfhearted smile and he leaned over to hug her. Hugging Castiel was always an experience. He smelled like butterscotch and laundry detergent. The mix reminded her of something safe and warm. She inhaled deeply and sighed as he released her.

She had no idea what had gotten into her. She hadn't meant to be such a bitch but lately, everything Dean did annoyed her to no end and today had been no exception. The messy apartment, the frustration she had felt for having to lie to their professor again for him, seeing him use another girl like that…had just been the last straw for her today. He was just so…infuriating. Right about now, she felt like she could kill him. Just go into his room and strangle him with her bare hands. At least it might make her feel better.

Resigning herself to her misery, she muttered "I'm going to go lay down" to Cas and locked herself in her room. Hell, if he could do it, then she could too. With an exhausted sigh, she flopped down on her bed, now extremely grateful she had spent the extra money on her down comforter, and fell into an angry, frustrated sleep


	3. She'll Leave You With A Smile

**She'll Leave You With A Smile – George Strait**

At first she's gonna come on strong

Like she'll love you all night long

Like it's going out of style

Then she'll leave you with a smile

You're gonna give her all your heart

Then she'll tear your world apart

You're gonna cry a little while

Still she'll leave you with a smile

Well you can't help but wonder

Why you can't help but love her

But you can't help but love her

And all that hurtin' was more than worth it

It's written all over your face

Castiel Novak closed the door gently behind him after finishing the dishes in the kitchen. Jo and Dean were at odds again and he figured it was probably better to help eliminate some of the stress that seemed to pop up so easily these days between the two of them. Even though he hated to see them fight with each other, this morning he was happy for the distraction. It kept Dean from prying too hard into Castiel's whereabouts the night before. Not that he wouldn't eventually share with his best friend but he wanted a few hours to process. He had made up the excuse of meeting his new Biology lab partner. Instead, he was waiting at Starbucks to meet Meg. Meg who had broken his heart over and over, so many times in high school and college that Castiel had lost count. Meg who appeared and disappeared anytime she wanted. It was like she had a radar that went off every time Castiel was happy. As soon as he was, she'd pick up the phone and drag him into whatever drama she had going on at the time. She'd blow in like a beautiful tornado, ripping his sane existence to shreds and leaving just as quick. She'd caused Castiel so much pain and heartbreak that Dean had practically outlawed her presence anywhere around them. But Castiel couldn't help but being drawn in every time she was near. The memory of the girl Meg used to be, not the train wreck that she was now, was enough to keep him interested.

Lying on his bed, he thought back to their first meeting in the kitchen of Luke and Azazel Austen, seniors who always threw the biggest parties. Castiel shouldn't have even been there. He should have stayed home and probably would have saved himself years of heartbreak. It was the summer before his junior year and he could count the number of parties he'd been to on one hand.

Castiel was never comfortable in party situations or really any social situations where there were large quantities of inane drinking students but as usual, Dean Winchester had dragged him out as Lisa Braden, the prom queen was going to be there. Even though she was a full year older than Dean, he had used his charm and good looks to finally gain headway with the very preppy rich girl. In his mind this party was the perfect way to spend the evening with her and finally seal the deal.

Not that Castiel didn't try to beg off. "Dean, I have to study. I have a major chemistry exam Monday. I cannot afford to fail."

"Geez Cas, you're the only person I know that went to summer school for fun."

"I didn't go for fun, Dean. I went to be able to do advanced placement in the fall," Cas sighed as he explained for what felt like the thousandth time. He and Dean never saw eye to eye on academic topics.

"That test is two days away," Dean pressed "It's time for you to loosen the tie.."

Castiel's eyebrow crashed together in confusion "I'm not wearing a tie…"

"Dammit Cas, stop being so literal. Seriously can you not take everything I say at face value. But really, don't you want to get out of this house? Have some fun."

Cas pretended to think it over. "This is fun. Why don't you take Sam?"

It was Dean's turn to frown "Becky Rosen roped him into a movie."

Castiel smiled. Becky's crush on Sam was known by everyone in the town. "I knew he wouldn't be able to turn her down."

"So are we doing this or what?"

Castiel closed his book. He knew he was going to do what Dean wanted. He always did. "Ok let's do it."

Walking into the party, Castiel wasn't surprised when Dean ditched him immediately to find Lisa. Instinctively he moved to a small corner in the kitchen area clutching red cup Dean handed him before he took off. He figured this was the best place to remain inconspicuous and unnoticed until Dean was ready to leave.

"Hello," a female voice called loudly and he turned to find the source staring at him. She nodded in a friendly fashion, the waves in her hair swaying softly. This first glance would always be his favourite memory of her. She was 16 with dark brown hair and eyes to match, the round face of a Botticelli angel, the look of innocence that could get her out of any situation, at least until she opened her mouth. And there she was lounging casually on the counter before him, her dark eyes sparkling

"What's kept you?" she asked cheerfully "I've been waiting for you."

Castiel swallowed nervously as she hopped off the counter and walked toward him. "You have?"

"Of course," she smiled, swaying a bit from whatever alcohol she was drinking. "I wished for a dark haired mystery man hiding in a corner holding a red solo cup."

Castiel didn't know how to respond to that. Was she making fun or was she flirting with him? "Oh."

There was a brief pause where she lounged against the wall next to him, the picture of relaxation.

"Have you been waiting long?" Castiel asked. In an odd way it felt like the normal thing to ask.

"The better part of the evening," she sighed wistfully "Seems like nine hundred years."

Castiel raised his eyebrow "Nine hundred years? That is a long time."

"That it is," she agreed

"And you've been here all this time?"

"Well for the most part I was sitting over there," she replied seriously as she pointed to the kitchen counter.

"Well I'm glad I came then," he offered

She frowned "Truth be told I've had quite a bit to drink, so I could be imagining you. You may not be real at all."

"I think I am, even though some of the time I'm not sure."

"I suppose you feel invisible sometimes?" she asked.

Castiel's heart leaped. Nobody had ever asked him that before and that was how he felt sometimes in the shadows of his big brothers, his best friend. Had she read his mind? He was mesmerized. A total stranger looked into his soul and seen inside him.

"Yes," he replied softly.

"I know," she said.

"How?"

"Because so do I," she replied, her brown eyes looking directly into his. A hint of sadness passed but was gone immediately, replaced by a smile. "What are you drinking?"

"Um, I'm not sure actually," he answered.

"Well let's find out," She took the cup from his hand and took a sip. She made a face. "Warm beer. Yuck. Let's get you something fresh."

"That's not necessary," Castiel replied allowing himself to be pulled by the hand to the counter.

"No it's not but I hate it when people are sober in my presence."

"I'm not much of a drinker," Castiel offered. "I don't really like beer."

Meg smiled sweetly as she grabbed a fresh solo cup "We have a pitcher of Long Island iced tea."

"Oh," Castiel smiled, a bit relieved "Okay, I'll have some of that."

She laughed as she opened the fridge to retrieve the pitcher "Tell you the truth, I'm not much of a beer drinker myself." She handed Castiel the cup. "So what's your name?"

"Castiel."

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Castiel," she arched her eyebrow as she pronounced his name carefully "And my name is Meg. But my friends call me Megara for short."

Castiel laughed a bit "And I'm very pleased to meet you as well, Meg."

"No please!" she said holding up her hand in protest, "Megara, I insist."

"Well, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather call you Meg. Megara is a bit of a mouthful."

"Am I?" she asked surprised with a devious smile on her face. "A mouthful? You've just met me."

"You..you…" Castiel stuttered "You know what I mean."

She laughed again "I do…and if you insist on formality, Meg it is."

Castiel calmed a bit "Thank you."

"No, thank you Castiel. That sure is a fancy name."

Castiel shrugged. He was used to everyone questioning the origin of his name. He was preparing to explain when he noticed her staring with a slight smirk on her face. Her brown eyes were so piercing they made him uncomfortable

He tried to ignore her stare by taking a sip of his iced tea, which he promptly spit out at her.

"Hey now," she said laughing wiping her face "Say it, don't spray it."

"Oh my God," Castiel said. He could feel his cheeks turning red. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…I mean..I didn't expect there to be-"

"Alcohol in it? Meg added as she handed him some napkins "Why do you think it's called a Long Island ice tea?"

"I've never had one before."Castiel began to wipe his shirt "I've never even been to Long Island. I am so very sorry, Meg."

But she didn't look mad. In fact, she looked amused "I've never been to Long Island," she echoed, as if she were trying to memorize the phrase.

"I am really sorry," he repeated.

Meg just grinned and it tugged at his heart strings.

Steady there, Cas, his conscience that sounded a lot like Dean called.

"You are certainly an angel, aren't you Clarence? You want a Coke or something?" her grin growing broader "And I do mean the carbonated kind."

"Sure," Castiel said completely dazzled by the smile. "That would be great."

And it would have been, if Azazel hadn't picked that moment to walk into the kitchen "Meg!"

She closed her eyes slowly before turning to face him. "Coming."

Castiel watched as her shoulders slumped and the grin was gone when she turned back "Sorry bout that Clarence, you'll have to get your own soda. I gotta run."

Before Castiel could reply, she walked toward Azazel who threw his arm around her possessively.

And so it went throughout their relationship. Meg would pop up at random times in his life. She'd flirt and smile. She'd enjoy his relative naivety but then Azazel would appear and round her up and remind Castiel just who she belonged to.

But that still didn't stop Castiel from showing up every time she called, always when she was in trouble.


	4. Better Than Me

**Better Than Me- Hinder**

_I think you can do much better than me__  
__After all the lies that I made you believe__  
__Guilt kicks in and I start to see__  
__The edge of the bed__  
__Where your nightgown used to be__  
__I told myself I won't miss you__  
__But I remember__  
__What it feels like beside you__  
__I really miss your hair in my face__  
__And the way your innocence tastes__  
__And I think you should know this__  
__You deserve much better than me_

Living with Joanna Beth Harvelle was not as easy as Dean thought it would be. When Cas casually notified him that he'd invited her to stay in the bedroom Sam had just vacated, Dean mumbled his approval. He would never turn Jo away but he didn't expect her to have such an impact their living arrangement.

She wanted to change everything in the apartment. She tried to add a chore board splitting the cleaning detail among the three of them. She put little scented candles in the bathroom that smelled like sugar cookies. Why the hell would he want to smell sugar cookies in the bathroom? In rebellion, he'd made a bigger mess around the apartment which agitated her to no end. He purposely blew out her candles and erased her chore board every day till she gave up.

She was driving him crazy, especially when she was trying to change everything. But if he really admitted it, he was happy to be stuck with her. He loved her. He'd always loved her. He remembered clearly that day he kissed her raspberry red lips. They were as soft and sweet as he'd always imagined. He had always been attracted to her since he'd first met her. Her beauty was complimented by her no no-nonsense personality. He tried to think of her in a sisterly way but as she got older, he couldn't deny his feelings. Their intensity had built over the years it had scared him more than he'd ever been scared in his whole life. He was certain they are what made him follow her into the woods that day. He was supposed to be meeting Bela for their weekly make out session but when he saw Sam run through the woods, he knew Jo was out there alone. The thought of her standing in there in the middle of the forest, her eyes covered, counting to 10. It was the perfect opportunity for any guy to steal a kiss. He'd known that Jo had never kissed a boy…she had shared that much with Sam who casually mentioned it to Dean. Dean was glad..he hated the thought of anyone else getting to taste her lips. He deserved to be the first. And then it happened…he taunted her into kissing him. Probably not the best basis for a first kiss but it was worth it. All the feelings he'd felt with her flooded him. And in typical Winchester style, he didn't know how to deal with them so he did what came naturally. He shut her out. He knew it was stupid and he regretted how he'd treated her afterward. He should talked to her and held her hand, caressed her cheek..told her how much he cared about her. Instead, the first thing he did was call her a child and ran away as fast as his legs would carry him towards Bela.

He had every intention of apologizing the next day when he saw her with Sam but she simply held her high and walked away. And never looked back. From that day on, because she was one of Sam's best friends, he had a ring side seat to every relationship she paraded in front of him He had to grind his teeth when he passed her in the hall holding hands with some moron smiling at each other. He had to clench his fists every time he had to see those jerks touch her.

Dean had tried his best to move on and did a pretty good job of forgetting she existed by running through an endless stream of girls. Till now, till today..when she was so close all he had to do was move closer and he could have….

"What are you thinking about so intently?" A female voice asked. "Who is she?"

Dean looked up from the bar he was wiping down to see Charlie walking towards him. She was a petite red head with green eyes. Not at all unlike the red head girl he took home last night..Andrea? Annie? Anna? He couldn't remember. Charlie was just as beautiful but she preferred her dates a little more feminine.

"What makes you think I'm thinking about a girl?" Dean asked.

"Oh that moony look you have on your face. Spill. Who is she? It's not that redhead is it? Skanky..you can do better, Dean."

"Hey, you're a red head," he reminded her before turning his back from where she was leaning over the bar.

"Hmm keeping it a secret. I see how you are." Charlie said giving him an impish smile, not allowing him to change the subject.

"It's not a secret. Really, I wasn't thinking about anyone."

"Sure you were. I'm psychic, I can pick up on these things. Besides you should have seen the look on your face. So who is she? You can tell me," she tried to persuade.

"Aww Charlie, you know I'm saving myself for the day when you come to your senses and dump Gilda for me," he said with just a hint of sarcasm but trying to steer the subject to neutral ground.

"Yeah well I won't want you if you keep going through the entire female population on campus," she said returning the sarcasm. "Besides why would I trade the hot lead singer of the band for a bartender?"

He shrugged as he wiped down the counter. "No cover charge?"

"I'm in the band. I never have a cover charge." Charlie frowned.

"Did you come over to get on my nerves or can I get you something?"

"A beer?"

"Did I miss your birthday? I thought it was in two weeks." he replied grabbing a glass and filling it with soda.

"Aww c'mon Dean, one beer..what could it hurt?" she said batting her dark lashes at him and he laughed as he placed the soda on the bar in front of her.

"Gee..Thanks," she said as she put a dollar in the tip jar. "Any requests for tonight?"

"Surprise me." he said giving her a half smile.

"Hmmm I may do just that." She said taking a sip "Is Jo coming in tonight?"

Jo usually took the stage in the middle of the set so Gilda could grab a break from singing. It was funny that in all the years Dean had known her, he had never known Jo could carry a tune until Charlie convinced her to take the stage. He immediately felt his smile turn into a frown before he could stop it. "I don't really know," he replied tightly.

He tried to turn from Charlie's stare but she'd already noticed his reaction.

"Oh my God…you've got a thing for Jo."

"Now Charlie, " Dean protested but she raised her hand to stop him.

"Don't lie to me, Dean…it's written all over your face."

Dean thought it over. He had never been successful in trying to lie to Charlie. It was a wasted effort."Yeah well..it's not gonna happen."

Charlie agreed "It might not..I mean she knows you're full of shit. I can imagine that she's immune to your charming and beguiling ways."

Dean took his towel from his shoulder and began to wipe the counter. "Something like that."

Charlie waited before speaking again. "And she obviously has known you forever..so she might not even care about you that way."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" he asked grumpily.

"Actually," Charlie added "I always thought she had a thing for Sam."

"Well great, thanks Charlie..I'm glad we could have this talk but I think I'm done."

Charlie leaned over the bar and punched him in the arm playfully "Dean! I was just trying to get a reaction…a hint of your intentions."

"I don't have any intentions," he shrugged "It's not a big deal…these feelings will fade as soon as she finds some other place to live. Besides it'll never work so why even try?"

"Well that's awfully gallant of you, making decisions for her. Women really loooove that."

Dean shook his head "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're taking the easy way out. You're a chicken."

"I'm not a chicken," he said defensively "I'm just being honest."

"Honestly a chicken," Charlie scoffed.

Dean turned to the sink to rinse off some glasses. "And I think we're done talking about that."

"Why?" Charlie pressed "Because then you'd have to give up your army of skanks?"

Dean frowned and Charlie immediately felt guilty.

"She deserves better," he replied shrugging.

"Dean," Charlie's expression softened "how can she choose you if you don't let her know you're an option."


	5. Linger

**Linger- The Cranberries**

_Oh, I thought the world of you.  
I thought nothing could go wrong,  
But I was wrong. I was wrong.  
If you, if you could get by, trying not to lie,  
Things wouldn't be so confused and I wouldn't feel so used,  
But you always really knew, I just wanna be with you.  
But I'm in so deep. You know I'm such a fool for you.  
You got me wrapped around your finger, ah, ha, ha.  
Do you have to let it linger?_

Danielle Tyler ran her hand through her wavy dark hair as she observed the circles under her brown eyes. She had to be ready to head to the club in 30 minutes and Castiel still hadn't come back to retrieve what he'd stashed at her apartment. It was bad enough that she missed rehearsal but now she was going to be late.

She walked out through the living room to find Meg still asleep on her couch under one of her favourite Star Wars comforters. She had slept off and on throughout the day, waking only really long enough to eat and drink when Dani offered it.

How had she let Castiel talk her into this? Easy, her mind answered, you'd do just about anything he asked.

It was true. Castiel had her on the hook for the last two years but looking after Meg for most of the day, she knew that Cas had been on her hook longer than that.

When he'd knocked on her door in the middle of the night, he'd looked so forlorn and lost holding a very tired, intoxicated Meg up that Avery couldn't turn him down

"I'm sorry, Dani, to impose on you," he said quietly as he guided Meg through the apartment door that Dani opened wide for them.

"Come in. It's no problem,"she hadn't been sleeping but she was clad only her normal pajama attire of flannel shorts and a tank top. "Excuse the mess. Rehearsal ran long and I didn't do the dishes."

He laid Meg down on the couch. "I need somewhere for her to stay tonight," his blue eyes imploring. "You know..Dean won't…"

"I know…sure she can stay here." Dani brushed her crazy hair to the side as she reached for the Star Wars blanket that she used as a throw. "What's wrong with her?"

Castiel frowned "She's drunk. She was out with…her boyfriend and they had a fight."

"Like an argument?" she asked pulling her sweatshirt over thank.

"Something like that," he said as he pointed to a purplish blemish that was forming on Meg's cheek.

"You're an angel, Clarence" Meg mumbled as she settled under the blanket "You are always there to save me. Stay with me."

Castiel took the blanket and covered Meg gently, almost reverently. Tyler's heart skipped a beat to see him so caring. "Yes Meg, I am here," he crooned as he pushed her hair from her face.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." Meg continued "I've been waiting for you..and you've been waiting for me…remember?"

"Yes Meg," he continued to sooth "I remember."

"Nine hundred years.." she trailed off as she closed her eyes.

"Yes.." he agreed "A lifetime."

Dani felt her heart break at the sadness in his voice, followed by a rush of embarrassment that she'd witnessed such an intimate scene. She moved to the kitchen and began to fill the teapot with water. She figured it would be a long sleepless night and tea would give her enough strength to deal with it but not completely wire her like coffee.

Castiel walked in as she turned to place the kettle on the stove. "Danielle, I'm really grateful for your help tonight. I didn't know where to go and I just came here out of habit, I guess."

"I'm glad I could help..you know I'd…well you know I'll help you whenever I can," she replied.

Cas pulled out a chair at her small kitchen table and sat."I know that about you. I suppose that's why I'm here."

Dani let a tired smile spread across her face and he looked confused for a second trying to figure out what he had said that was so funny."I'm glad you've come back to your senses."

"I'm not sure what you mean?" he asked tilting his head as if that helped clarify things.

"Well you called me Dani when you first brought her in, that's how I knew you were distraught," she explained as she grabbed two cups from the cabinet and placed them in front of him on the table. "But just now you called me Danielle again, so I know you must be feeling better."

He ran his hand through his hair, making the pieces stand in different directions.

Dani brought the sugar bowl and teaspoon on the table in anticipation and placed it on the table before heading to the fridge for the milk.

"I take it Dean has no idea," she asked pouring him a cup of tea.

"None at all," Castiel added quickly as he spread his long fingers against her placemat. "And I'd like to keep it that way."

"Your secret is safe with me," she said quietly, crossing her heart with her hand.

"I knew it would be," he chuckled softly.

Dani smiled in return but jumped slightly when the tea kettle went off. "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure," he replied drumming his fingers on the table lightly "Tea sounds wonderful."

And tea was wonderful..anytime she got to spend with Castiel was. She knew he'd never see her as anything other than a friend but it was still nice to find him sleeping on her living room recliner when she woke up in the morning. Of course, Meg was the reason he was there but that still didn't stop Dani's heart from thumping like mad at the sight of him rubbing his blue eyes until they could focus.

But damn, when he said he'd be back for Meg, Dani thought it would be earlier in the day..not 8:30…Cas didn't want to leave Meg alone he said in fear of what she might do to herself but Dani knew it was really because he thought she'd take off…or take something….which she probably did anyway. Maybe that's why she'd been asleep all day. No normal person slept that much….geez, it's 8:30 already, she thought.

"I am so late," she mumbled allowed to herself as she tied the laces on her blue converse again.

When she heard a knock at the door, she rushed through the room, careful not to wake the sleeping princess.

Castiel stood before her clad in a black v-neck tshirt with a black button down over it with blue jeans faded in all the right places. His beard stubble made his look good enough to eat.

Stay on task, Dani, her conscience reminded her.

"You're late," she pointed out the obvious as she pointed to the sleeping Meg.

"I know, I'm very sorry. I had a situation to deal with at home," he replied.

"A situation that kept you from coming to pick your girlfriend up from where you have her stashed so your best friend doesn't get pissed at you. I can appreciate that..hell I'll even help you but at least get here in time for me to get to work."

Cas gave her a heart stopping half grin "Playing in a band is work? I thought it was fun."

Dani became furious. "It is fun but it's part of how I pay the bills. I don't have a rich daddy who sends me money every month so I can live scot free and I certainly I don't have a drug dealing boyfriend who foots my bill as long as he can keep me around as a punching bag."

Cas bristled at the reference to Crowley, Meg's current boyfriend who just couldn't seem to keep her out of trouble.

"That's not fair…" he began.

"Save it, Cas," she hastily cut him off grabbing her jacket. "I have to go. Please lock up after you _two_ leave."


	6. Troublemaker

**Troublemaker – Olly Murs**

_You had me hooked again from the minute you sat down__  
The way you bite your lip__  
Got my head spinning around__  
After a drink or two__  
I was putty in your hands__  
I don't know if I have the chance to stand_

_Trouble troublemaker  
That's your middle name__  
I know you're no good but you're stuck in my brain__  
And I wanna know__  
Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad__  
My mind keeps saying__  
Run as fast as you can__  
I say I'm done but then pull me back__  
I swear you're giving me a heart attack__  
Troublemaker_

Meg stared at a very quiet Castiel across the Mustang. The radio was playing loudly, she assumed so he wouldn't have to make conversation. Castiel was a normally quiet guy but Meg knew he was thinking. She could practically hear the wheels turning in his head. She'd heard much of the scene with the girl but she pretended to be asleep. It was easier to do that than get stuck in the middle of the girl's anger. Not that she blamed her. It was an uncomfortable situation to be in. Poor girl was hopelessly in love with Castiel from the look of her and here he was bringing Meg to stay there.

It was true. Castiel was deep in thought. He felt sad that he'd upset Danielle. She had been a great friend to him and helped him more than she could imagine but he knew she had feelings for him and that bringing Meg to her wasn't a good thing.

"Cas, are you angry with me?" Meg asked quietly.

Castiel looked at her and smiled "No Meg, I'm not angry…I'm just…" he sighed deeply "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean Dean isn't going to be happy to see me. He never really is," she replied frowning slightly. Meg had never been afraid of Dean but she knew that Castiel valued his opinion over anyone's.

Castiel shrugged "He will get over it."

"I'm sure he will," Meg laughed "We should just wave something shiny in front of him and he'll forget I'm around."

Castiel chuckled a bit "That's not fair."

Meg lifted her purse from the backseat and pulled out a brush. She began to pull it through her hair, removing the tangles "C'mon, Clarence, we both know he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer."

"And you wonder why he dislikes you?" Castiel said giving her a side glance.

"He dislikes me because he's secretly in love with you and he doesn't like the competition so he insults me, "she proceeded to pull her dark wavy hair into a pony tail. "I'm trying not to be broken up about it."

"So do you want to talk about Crowley?" Castiel asked trying to sound nonchalant.

It was Meg's turn to shrug "Not really. Do you want to talk about Danielle?"

"There is nothing to talk about."

"Seriously, Clarence, she looks at you like she's been lost in the desert for 100 years and you're a tall drink of water."

Jealous? Castiel asked in his mind but didn't say it aloud "We're friends."

"She'd love to be more than friends. Why else would she let you bring your drunk ex-girlfriend to her apartment in the middle of the night?"

"I guess I haven't given that much thought," Castiel admitted "I guess I'm more interested in why my ex-girlfriend called me drunk in the middle of the night."

Meg laughed "Crowley ditched me in the middle of a deal. I didn't know who else to call. Who else would come get me?" Before Castiel could respond, she added "Where are we headed anyway?"

"I figured you'd want to drop your stuff at the apartment. I'm sure Jo is gone."

"Jo?" Meg asked in a surprise tone "Harvelle?"

Castiel took in her reaction "Uh yeah, she moved in with us when Sammy moved out."

Meg shook her head "Wow, first, if Dean hears you call Moose Sammy, he'll be pissed. That's like his pet name for him. And secondly, hasn't Harvelle gotten the picture yet? Dean is never going to give up his wily ways to settle down with her? Does she think moving in to the same apartment is going to change that?"

"I don't think it's like that for her," Castiel bristled.

Meg lifted her eyebrow "Sure it isn't."

Castiel pulled the car into his usual parking spot and shut off the engine. He turned to look at her. "Meg, why are you here? Are you in trouble?"

She laughed nervously "What? No. I just need a place to lay low for a while. You don't mind, do you?"

Castiel shifted to face her, as his deep blue eyes searched hers "What are you hiding from? From Crowley? He left you stranded, intoxicated in a party full of his drug dealing friends. Why don't you leave him? He doesn't love you…"

Meg tried to break eye contact by looking down at her fumbling hands. She was embarrassed. She knew Castiel was right but she loved Crowley and the adventure he brought to her life. When things were good, they were great but when they were bad, they were horrible. "I'm not hiding from anything. It's just….I…need…"

Castiel's breath hitched as he waited but she didn't continue.

"I won't be here long. I promise," she said hoarsely. To add to the effect and distract him, she reached down and took his hand in hers. She knew that would take his mind off any further questions. She hated doing that because she genuinely cared about Castiel, just not in the way he seemed to care about her.

Castiel closed his eyes at the sensation of her hand on his. Took in her natural scent. How he missed her. He knew he wouldn't send her away. "Meg, you can stay here as long as you'd like."


	7. Jealousy

**Jealousy – Natalie Merchant**

_Is she fine  
So well bred  
The perfect girl  
A social deb?_

_Is she the sort  
You've always thought  
Could make you  
What you're not?_

_Ooh, jealousy_

_Is she bright  
So well read  
Are there novels  
By her bed?_

_Is she the sort  
That you've always said  
Could satisfy  
Your head?_

_Ooh,my jealousy_

Late in the evening, Jo was awakened by a slamming door and then a soft knock on her door. She knew it was Castiel. "Come in," she called loud enough for him to hear.

Castiel entered the room. Jo chuckled at his appearance. When they were younger, Castiel was the model young man. With his polo's, button down shirts and topsiders, he was every parents wet dream. Nowadays he frequented jeans,t-shirts and Doc Martens, every now and then the occasional linen button down. He went days without shaving and approached every situation in a laid back fashion that he'd learned from years of spending time with Sam and Dean. But no amount of messy hair or clothes or even beard stubble could hide the kindness in his piercing blue eyes. They were serene and patient all the time.

He lifted his lips in a half smile as he spoke quietly."Hey Dean went to work already. Are you coming out?"

Jo lifted her head out of her comfy pillow to see the red numbers on the clock that read 745pm. She had lain in bed all day and slept off and on all afternoon. It was time to get up or her friends were sure to come looking for her.

"Yeah, I'm getting up."

"Good cause Ruby has been calling you to come out and meet her and Bela. Something about if you don't make it to the bar tonight, you won't live to see graduation." Castiel chuckled.

Ruby, Jo's old roommate and Sam's girlfriend, could be a force to reckon with when she wanted to be. And Bela Talbot…Jo couldn't quite figure out how she had gone from her arch enemy, big mouth Bela who followed Dean around like a puppy in junior high to sophisticated Bela Talbot, future wife of Michael Novak, Cas' big brother.

"Ughhh"Jo groaned crawling out of the bed and opening the bedroom door.

"Woah..I hope you're combing your hair before you leave," he blurted. One of the things, Cas hadn't outgrown was his lack of filter. If it popped into his head, it usually came out of his mouth.

"Shut up, Cas." Jo said grumpily walking to the bathroom. "I'll comb my hair when you shave that mess of a beard you have going on."

"It's not that long," he replied.

"No, it's not but it is a mess."

He laughed as he turned to walk down the hall. "I'll catch you later then."

"Wait," Jo called from the bathroom doorway "Are you going to the bar? Now?"

Cas wavered "No, I have to run an errand first."

Jo's eyes narrowed "An errand?" she repeated.

Cas fumbled with his hands in his pockets "Yeah, an errand. I'll be there later."

Jo looked at him but he had turned away. "Have fun," she mumbled slamming the bathroom door. She debated crawling back to bed. She really didn't want to go to the club tonight and the last thing she wanted to do was put herself in a position to see things she really didn't feel like to seeing. And she really, really, didn't want to be dragged up on stage tonight. But still, it was Friday night and she was positive that Bela or Ruby would be calling or texting her within a matter of minutes to pick her up. Besides, she wasn't about to give Dean the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to her.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed above her head. It was Ruby. Of course. With an exasperated exhale, Jo picked up the phone and quickly winced when Ruby proceeded to talk her ear off before she could even say hello.

"Alright, alright, alright…just give me fifteen minutes. No, nothing's wrong. No really I'm fine. Seriously? Ok, ok, Ruby, fine, fifteen minutes. Yeah, I'll just come down when I'm ready. Fifteen minutes, promise."

She snapped the phone shut and jumped out of bed. What to wear…what to wear…everything in her closet just seemed like crap to her at that moment and for a split second, she wished she had the fashion prowess to impress. For some reason, she felt like she needed to look pretty tonight. After all, it was a Friday and who knew who was going to be at the club? Maybe, finally, some guy would take pity on her and actually ask her out. For the most part, it seemed like the fact that she had two boys as roommates scared off any potential suitors, but this night could be different.

After five minutes passed, she gave up trying and threw on her favourite emerald green top with the first pair of jeans she saw. She hurriedly applied a few swipes of mascara, a little bit of lip gloss and reached for her flats. She shook her head and dug through her closet until she found her favourite pair of black high heels. She would most likely live to regret the decision but she was way past caring.

A quick glance at the clock told her she was already running late and she knew instinctively that Ruby was already downstairs waiting impatiently. After a string of curses and near collision with the floor as she rushed to the door, she made it to Ruby's car in one piece.

"Jo, we're going to be late now. What took you so long? I'm sure the band has already started." Ruby complained.

"It's not like you haven't seen them before." Jo countered

"Yeah well tonight is special."

"Special how?"

"Sam's filling in on the guitar. Chuck asked him too."

Jo's eyebrows crashed together "Where is Dani?"

Ruby shrugged "Not sure. Chuck thought she might be sick. She didn't show up to sound check earlier and was late when the first set came up so Chuck gave Sam a call."

"And you are rushing to the club to see Sam's debut?"

"Of course," Ruby replied proudly

"Groupy," Jo mumbled under her breath and she braced herself for an insult which was Ruby's typical response but she was surprised when she just and half turned to look at her "Wow Jo, you look great tonight. I love that color green on you and check it out..you've got heels on!"

Before long they pulled up in the crowded parking lot of the Roadhouse. None of them were surprised at the crowd since despite being geeky Charlie's band, the Queens of Moondoor, a name drummer Chuck Shurley hated, had quite a campus following. For the most part, Jo was sure that it was the big voices of Gilda and Dani that was the draw. Both girls could really sing.

They entered the front door and the bouncer just waved them in, not needing to see any ID. Music coursed through the walls of the now too crowded club and Jo tried to make out the song they were playing. It sounded a little like "New Perspective" by Panic at the Disco but she wasn't completely sure because of the noise of the crowd. The two girls pushed their way through the crowds of people.

Twice Jo tripped over her shoes and realized it had been too long since she'd worn heels. She needed to wear them more often.

"How are those heels treating you?" Bela yelled over the crowd as they reached where she'd been standing near the bar.

Jo just shook her head and when she turned she caught sight of her least favourite bartender.

His green eyes narrowed as she continued to gaze at him. She was only able to pull her stare away when Charlie announced. "This one is for the fabulous bartender back there. Be sure to tip him big."

With that, the band started up with "Hard to Handle."

_Baby here I am_

_I'm the woman on the scene_

_I can give you what you want_

_But you gotta' come home with me_

_I have got some good old lovin'_

_And I got some more in store_

_When I get through throwin' it on you_

_You gotta' come back for more_

_Girls and things that come by the dozen_

_That ain't nothin' but drugstore lovin'_

_Hey little thing let me light your candle_

_'Cause papa I'm sure hard to handle, now_

_Gets around_

"C'mon lets get a drink." Ruby said, nodding in the direction of the bar while swaying to the music.

Jo turned back to look at the group of girls that Dean was chatting up. He had turned on his best smile and he said something that made them laugh. Jo could only imagine what he was saying to them to make them laugh like that.. And the red head was back...damn Anna Milton..the way she was leaning over the bar squeezing her breasts practically out of her nonexistent top made Jo want to claw her eyes out.

Jo tried to focus on something different "Where is Michael tonight?"

Bela brushed her long lashes over her green/gray eyes "Studying for the MCATs, can you believe?"

"Well he wants to get into med school," Ruby asked "That's a good thing right?"

"Normally I would " Bela agreed in her haughty British accent. "But every now and then it would be nice to have an evening out with my eye candy on my arm. Ugh..look at those girls..seriously..Dean isn't all that. He used to pick his nose when he was little..maybe I should clue them in."

"I think I'll wait here." Jo replied. "I don't want to battle his entourage just to get a drink."

"Oh Jo, let's go. Don't be mad at Dean." Ruby said pulling her hand.

"Mad at Dean?" Bela asked curiously.

"Jo's just still sore at him from earlier today," Ruby interjected before Jo could respond. "They really got into it today…can't say it hasn't been a trend lately, though…"

"Did Dean tell Sam that?" Jo demanded.

"Maybe," Ruby said laughing.

Bela's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Really? Hmm…go figure. So what were you two fighting about this time?"

Jo exhaled with obvious annoyance. "I'm just sick of him."

Bela didn't even try to hide her devious grin. "Uh huh. Let me guess…he brought another girl home with him last night and you heard them having hot animal sex all night?"

"You know, Bel, something about your British accent and the phrase hot animal sex doesn't mesh well," Jo rolled her eyes and tried to act horrified by her comment. "And no…come on. He was with someone last night and no, I didn't hear anything…but there were clothes everywhere, the whole place just stinks right now and I'm just sick of it…alright?"

Bela eyes widened with mock surprise. "Ok, ok…don't get your underwear in a twist over it…"

"You can be annoying sometimes, you know that?"

Bela gave her a smug smile and jibed back. "I don't care. When I'm right, I'm right."

"Whatever."


	8. Hey Jealousy

**Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms**

_Tomorrow we can drive around this town  
And let the cops chase us around  
The past is gone but something might be found  
To take its place...Hey Jealousy  
And you can trust me not to think  
And not to sleep around  
If you don't expect too much from me  
You might not be let down_

The three girls approached the bar and Dean immediately turned his back to them.

Jo was sure he was trying to avoid her and frowned.

Bela yelled "Hey Winchester, think you tear yourself away from your fan club to get me…"

He turned back to her and placed strawberry margarita in front of her.

"A strawberry margarita…I'm so glad you've started reading minds." Bela finished and smiled at him.

Ruby laughed "What about me, Dean? Can you guess what I want?" Two minutes later a Seven and Seven appeared in front of her. "How about Jo?"

"White wine please." Jo called before he could make any guesses. She was absolutely sure that Dean Winchester had no clue what she wanted to drink or in any other situation.

"Coming right up," he said as he poured her a glass of white wine.

"Thanks." She said sarcastically. He walked over to the red head again and said something that made her smile and look in Jo's direction. She was about to turn around to watch the band when he walked over to her and placed a glass of ice next to her wine.

"I know you like ice with your wine," he said making only the briefest eye contact with her before returning his attention to the red head.

"Aww, he remembered." Ruby said. "I always forget you like ice with your wine. See, he's trying to make nice."

"He's trying to get tips." Jo grumbled begrudgingly.

"Doesn't look like he needs any help with tips right now. Do you know who that is? That's Anna Milton. Her dad owns most of west Kansas." Ruby continued.

"Well he obviously doesn't have enough money to buy her a full outfit." Jo said eyeing Anna who was tossing her silky smooth red hair and playing with the ends. Jo was about to make another snide comment when she stopped short as Gilda's voice rang through the club.

"Alright, guys…now it's the time of the night when I get to actually have a drink and take a breather…without further adieu, Jo Harvelle!"

Loud applause erupted through the room and that made Jo feel a little bit better.

Jo downed her wine as Ruby grabbed her arm: "Get up there and rock it, girl! What are you singing tonight?"

"I don't know…whatever they pick for me I guess." She called as she made her way to the stage. As soon as she was on stage, Gilda gave her a hug and Charlie a kiss before she jumped off the stage.

She gripped the microphone with shaky hands and turned to Charlie. "What am I singing tonight?"

Charlie grinned like a Cheshire cat and said. "How bout this one?"

Chuck's drums started up and the rest of the band joined in.

Jo smiled. One of her favourites. She turned to the face the crowd, most of whom were already dancing and clapping to the music.

She started singing:

_I've been a bad, bad girl__  
__I've been careless with a delicate man__  
__And it's a sad, sad world__  
__When a girl will break a boy just because she can___

_Don't you tell me to deny it__  
__I've done wrong and I want to suffer for my sins__  
__I've come to you 'cause I need guidance to be true__  
__And I just don't know where I can begin__  
_

She gripped the microphone a little harder as her nerves began to give way and she just enjoyed the music and the stage. Her eyes rested on Dean, who had turned his attention from the red head and was watching her carefully. He was watching so intently that she could feel the burn of his gaze. She even thought she was a small smile play on his lips. Her eyes flew away from him, though, the second Anna touched his face to turn his attention back to her. Jo just lost herself in singing.

_What I need is a good defense__  
__'Cause I'm feeling like a criminal__  
__And I need to be redeemed__  
__To the one I've sinned against__  
__Because he's all I ever knew of love_

The song faded out and the crowd, again, erupted in applause. She heard a loud whistle coming from the bar. It was Garth who was tending bar with Dean, She could also see Becky, Chuck's girlfriend and Ruby clapping enthusiastically. Bela normally didn't clap but she nodded and smiled at Jo. She threw them all a grateful grin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gilda ran back on stage followed by a very somber looking Dani who waited patiently for Sam to remove herguitar from his neck. Jo took that as her cue to exit. Gilda a offered her a huge smile and said: "Jo Harvelle everybody! Thanks…Jo, I needed that break…now, let's get this party rolling!"

A few more cries echoed throughout the club as Jo stepped down from the stage and she pushed through the crowd yet again to resume her seat next to Ruby at the bar.

"That was awesome, Jo! I wish I could sing like that too!"Becky gushed.

Jo just smiled and laughed. "Hey, maybe if you pout enough, Charlie will give in and let you give it a try for once."

Becky looked horrified. "Oh no…no, Charlie says my singing sounds like nails on a chalkboard and as much as I hate to admit that she's right…well,she's right."

The girls laughed at that and then turned their attention back to the music. Jo couldn't help but notice as Dean continued to let Anna touch him..his arm, his face. It was driving her crazy. She so didn't want her in the apartment tonight. After about an hour or so, the night was starting to wind down and the crowd was finally beginning to clear. The last song, "Name" by the Goo Goo Dolls, finished up, Gilda made the last call to help clear the crowd.

Jo decided she needed something stronger so she ordered a shot of tequila for herself.

"Where is Castiel tonight?" Ruby asked after Jo finished her shot.

Jo shrugged"He said he had an errand to take of but didn't really elaborate. I didn't press him."

Ruby frowned "You don't think…Meg?"

"No!" Jo hissed before Sam got wind of the name "He'd never.."

Ruby pursed her lips and leaned closer "He has before."

Jo nodded in agreement. …"Hey Dean!" she yelled "Another round please!"

He reluctantly tore himself away from Anna and poured Jo another shot.

As Jo slammed her shot, Ruby pinched her arm forcefully.

"Ow! What are you doing?" She cried out in more surprise than pain.

"That guy…he's walking over here. He's been staring at you all night."

Jo's brow furrowed in confusion and she took a glance at Dean who clenched his jaw tightly as he noticed the approaching man.

"What? No…he's not coming over here for me, he's probably just getting one last drink or something…" She trailed off as the guy Ruby had been talking about stopped directly in front of her and held out his hand. Ruby was gone in a flash.

"Hello," he began smoothly. "I'm Rick."

She took his hand cautiously and shook it. "Hi…I'm Joanna."

He grinned widely at that and gripped her hand a little tighter before releasing it. "Yeah, I knew that already. You know, you were really fantastic up there. I wish you would have sung more than just one song."

She felt her cheeks flush. "Yeah, well…one song is all they can really talk me into."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? You're a natural up there. I was singing along the whole time and usually, I absolutely hate chick rock."

She laughed and nervously ran a hand through her hair. "I'm glad you liked it. It's one of my favourite songs."

He nodded and bit his lip in thought. He looked like he was about to say something when his eyes shifted to something to the side of her. Jo turned and groaned when she saw all four, Ruby, Sam, Becky, and Bela, watching them. She tried not to look but she could see Dean had walked over closer as well with an angry expression on his face.

"Hey, Jo…who's your friend?"Sam asked a bit defensively.

Jo grimaced. Ugh. Leave it to Sam.

Rick stepped forward and quickly reached out to shake Sam's and then everyone else's. It wasn't lost on anyone that he all but ignored Dean who was giving Rick a hostile glare.

"Hello," he introduced himself. "I'm Rick. I was just talking with Jo about her amazing performance tonight."

"Well, she is pretty amazing." Ruby chimed in, looking completely pleased with this new development.

"Yes, she most definitely is." Rick replied, now looking down on Jo.

Ruby didn't fail to notice the look and she quickly shooed the rest of the group away. Although he tried to hide it, Dean turned his head to the side and sent Rick a dangerously dark look as he turned back to begin his nightly clean up.

"Well," Rick began again, throwing Jo from her thoughts. "Since it looks like your friends want to leave, I…uh…just wanted to ask if I could take you out sometime."

Jo blinked in shock. She opened her mouth to speak but was too surprised to form any coherent words. "Um…sure…"

After the brief exchange of plans, he quickly kissed her cheek and waved goodbye to her friends at the bar before exiting the club. As soon as he was gone, a loud cheer erupted from the bar.

"Yeah!"

"Way to go, Jo!"

Jo's blush only deepened at this. "Aw, come on guys…he just asked me out…it's not like he asked me to marry him or anything…"

"Whatever, Joanna. It's a start. Don't act like you aren't excited." Bela said.

"Maybe it's those heels." Becky added.

Sam chimed in looking at her feet "Jo's wearing heels? Since when?"

Ruby smacked the back of his head playfully and stood on her tip toes to bit his ear lobe. "Don't tease her, Sam…she'll never wear them again if you do and then I'll be very angry and I don't think you'd think it when I'm angry…"

He grinned widely at her and gripped her waist a little tighter. "Oh, really?"

"Ok gross…stop!" Jo interrupted desperately. "Enough of that crap."

Jo pulled up a stool up to the bar and plopped down in exhaustion.

"I can give you a ride home if you wait." Dean offered out of nowhere as he finished wiping down the bar. Jo so didn't want to be alone with Dean but if he was giving her a ride a home then that meant he wasn't bringing anyone home with him.

"Ok." Jo agreed cautiously. "Just us?"

Dean stopped wiping the bar and gave her a frustrated look that she didn't understand. "Yeah I just us."

"I'm exhausted. I can't wait to get home. I wonder if Michael is still up. Are you excited about Rick?" Bela asked warmly taking the stool next to her.

She shrugged her shoulders and rubbed her arms, suddenly cold now that there weren't too many people in the club anymore. "Yeah, I guess."

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom. Don't take off without me." Bela told her.

After Bela was out of earshot, Dean cleared his throat and turned his head slightly to ask her tensely: "So..you can't go out with Rick."

Her head whipped to face him, a mask of anger enveloping her face. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he said determinedly.

Jo scowled, "Who the hell do you think you are to tell me who I can go out with? What do you care anyway?"

"He's an asshole,"he said seriously as if that answered her questions.

She scoffed and turned back to face the bar. "How would you know that?"

He shook his head. "Trust me on this one, Jo. I just know."

"Takes an asshole to know one."

"You can call me whatever you want but I'm not going to stand by and watch while you go out with that jerk."

"Watch? What are you talking about? I can take care of myself." She bit out through her clenched teeth.

"No you can't." he said matter of factly.

"And how exactly is that any of your business anyway?"

"It isn't but you're still not going to go out with him."

"Watch me." She said getting up to find Bela.

"Hey where are you going?" Bela asked as she approached.

"Can you give me a ride home?" Jo told her.

"I thought Dean was taking you home?"

"I don't want to be anywhere near Dean right now."

Bela looked at her and shook her head with a small smile on her lips.

They walked out of the club passing Dean who was leaving the red head who had her arms around his waist. Jo could only think about how awesome it would be to pull out a handful of that smooth copper hair. She didn't understand why he got to bang every skank that flirted with him and then he got to tell her she couldn't date the only guy who'd asked out in months.

What made him think he had the right?

She sighed with relief that the night was finally over when she finally got into Bela's jag..

"You all right?" Bela asked.

"Yeah, just get me the hell out of here."


	9. Kryptonite

**Kryptonite – 3 Doors Down**

_You called me strong, you called me weak,__  
__But still your secrets I will keep__  
__You took for granted all the times__  
__I never let you down__  
__You stumbled in and bumped your head,__  
__If not for me then you'd be dead__  
__I picked you up and put you back on solid ground_

Early morning the light filtered through Dean's window. It was early enough for him to realize that he shouldn't be awake yet. Going home with the red head had kept him out all night but he was glad that he'd managed to get away to sleep in his own bed alone.

He ran both hands over his face as he tried to wipe the sleepiness from his eyes. He knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Jo had been on his mind since she walked in the bar last night. He'd tried to distract himself with Anna but he couldn't seem to do it. And then when that douchebag Rick walked over, acting like a prince charming to lure Jo in, it had been the last straw. He knew he shouldn't have tried to forbid Jo from the date but damn, why couldn't she just listen to him for once without questioning? Damn her, she was always so contrary to anything he said.

Dean managed to sit up pulling the blankets off of him. Standing up, he ran his fingers through his hair one more time. Maybe Cas was up. He needed someone to talk to. He stood up and stretched before making his way to the door.

Passing Jo's door, he couldn't help but open it to make sure that she made it home safely. He was relieved to find her in her own bed, a mess of blond hair covering her beautiful face.

"You know you achieve creeper status when you stare at chicks while they sleep," came the all too familiar female voice behind him.

He closed his eyes before turning. "Meg."

The brunette lifted her eyebrow with a hint of a smirk on her face, clad only in one of Castiel's large worn Kansas State t-shirts and a cup of coffee steaming in her hands "I'm flattered you remember."

Dean frowned "What the hell are you doing here?"

She lifted the cup to sip and then spoke "Cas invited me."

"Dumb bastard," Dean mumbled

"Not exactly a nice way to talk about your best friend," she replied as he followed her into the living room, away from Jo's door.

"Well when my best friend stops bringing trash into the house, I'll be nicer."

Meg didn't react to the insult, she just stood there smiling.

Dean hated her smirk. He knew she did it just to piss him off. And no one pissed him off better than Meg. "What happened to your face? Another one of your boyfriends mistake it for a punching bag?"

The smirk faltered "You know it's not polite to point out a lady's flaws."

"I'll try to remember that as soon as I see one."

Meg recovered quickly "Why do you hate me so much, Winchester?"

Dean laughed at the open ended statement "Would probably be a shorter list to tell you why I don't hate you."

Meg settled herself into the corner of the couch, tucking her feet underneath her. "I think it's because I take Castiel's attention from you. When I'm around, he has less time to think about you."

"Actually I think I hate you most because you march in whenever you feel like fucking up his life. It's like you have Castiel happiness radar..as soon as his meter register's any joy, you show up with your baggage in tow to drown him in your endless drama."

"I don't have drama," she replied petulantly

"Of course you do. You are the freaking drama queen. You always have been. You get involved with guys who don't give a damn about you and you come running to Cas when you need an ego boost. You don't give a damn…"

"I do care about Castiel," Meg interjected

"If you cared about him," Dean argued "I mean really cared about him, you'd leave him alone. Let him find someone who can love him back."

Meg felt her face redden and the beginning of tears prick her eyes. His words had finally hit a mark. No, she wasn't in love with Castiel but she did care about him.

"Dean, that's enough." came the commanding voice of Castiel. He entered the living room in pajama bottoms and a tee.

Dean felt nauseous as he watched walk over to Meg and give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Why don't you wait for me in my room?" Castiel told her as he took her hand to help her rise from the couch.

Meg grabbed her cup of coffee and walked away.

Both men waited for the sound of the door closing behind her.

"What are you doing, Cas?" Dean demanded.

Castiel sighed as he lifted his hand to run through his already messy hair. This was the magic question. One he was not even sure he knew the answer to. "I'm helping…a friend."

"She's not your friend, Cas. Don't you remember last time?"

"I do," Castiel said quietly. He couldn't argue with the shambles Meg had left him in last time. Her alcoholism was at its peak level and it was too much to handle. After weeks of trying to keep her clean, all Azazel had to do was show up and smiles and she fell back into her old ways.

Dean remembered sitting quietly with a tearful Castiel when she left. It tore him up to see his best friend hurt that way. "She's trouble."

Castiel shrugged, his body feeling stressed but his blue eyes remained serene. "The same could be said for you, my friend."

Dean began to fume "Yeah well, last time I checked you weren't hopelessly in love with me."

Castiel gave Dean a small smile. The rumours of their relationship being more than best friends had followed them since they were kids. "Not anymore."

"Funny, Cas, real funny."

"Look Dean, I'm not in love with Meg," Castiel added and Dean began to protest but stopped when Castiel raised his hand "It's not like that anymore. I care about her. I'm just helping her. She's my friend."

"She doesn't know how to be a friend," Dean retorted.

"Maybe not," Castiel conceded "But you do."

"What does that mean?" Dean asked

"It means I'm asking you to be my friend..my best friend…"

"I'll always be your best friend, Cas," Dean said hoarsely

""Then trust me. I know what I'm doing. Ok?"

Dean sighed..maybe he should have stayed in bed. "Ok."

"And be nice," Castiel added.

"I'll do my best."


	10. Tension

**Tension- Avenged Sevenfold**

_I wake up every morning bright and early  
Roll out of bed but I'm never quite alone  
Tension is pulling me in all directions  
And these problems use me as a rope_

_Sometimes the pressure will just drive you crazy  
At any time I could explode  
I need some peace of mind, it's got me tired  
Don't wanna lose it, but I'm turning down that road_

Light was just beginning to flicker in from the shades in her room and groaning, Jo turned over and buried her head in her pillow. Her head was throbbing much more than she had been expecting and her stomach…well, that was a whole other story. She definitely drank way more than she had intended to last night. Of course, it didn't help that she had an in with the bartender and most of her drinks had been free. Who in their right mind would say no to free drinks?

Ugh. Headaches and sleep deprivation were not something she was interested in handling and peacefully decided that settling back into the warm comfort of her bed was a much better option than getting up and actually facing the day. She felt her ears perk up when her bedroom door creaked open. Light footsteps padded closer to her bed and within a matter of moments, she felt warm breath on her ear.

"Oh Joaaaannnaaa!" Ruby sang into her ear. "Joooaaannnaaaa…waaakkke uppp! We're going to be late now and you know Bela is not going to be happy if we're late…"

Jo turned over and grimaced. "Oh no…that's today? Can't you just pick up the dresses and tuxes without me? I'm sure it'll fit.."

Ruby just laughed and shook her gently. "Come on, everyone's ready and waiting for you. Even Dean was ready on time…"

Jo's eyes narrowed at the mention of the number one person on her shit list. Just another reason to crawl back into bed.

"Come on!" Ruby pleaded again. "Let's go. Bela is going to blow a gasket pretty soon."

"Alright, alright…just give me a second."

Jo swung her legs over the side of her bed and took the clothes off her dresser and hoped like hell they matched. Several minutes later, both she emerged from her room; Bela exhaled loudly at the sight of them and shook her head.

"It's about time, Jo. We have to go. Now." Her voice was stern and everyone knew better than to say anything to her. When it came to her wedding, it really was Bela's way or the highway. With only a week left to make preparations, her nerves were starting to get the best of her and no one was completely safe when wedding plans were involved.

"I'm hungry and I'm going to eat," Jo replied fussily.

Bela threw her hands up exasperated.

"Chill, Bela," Dean walked in pulling an army green t-shirt over his head. "The dresses will still be there when you get there."

Bela glared "Don't you think you're getting out this, Dean. You have to have to go pick up your tux as well. Michael said…"

"I know what Michael said," Dean interrupted "I talked to him not five minutes ago."

"Where is Castiel?" Bela asked "He needs to be there too."

"I'm here," Cas walked in with Meg in tow.

Jo dropped the pan she'd retrieved from the cabinet when she saw her. "Meg," she said startled.

"It's nice to see you too, Harvelle."

There was an awkward silence as the two made it into the living room, Bela and Ruby staring. Bela was clearly annoyed and Ruby was aghast.

"Wow, Bela…I can't believe you're getting married in two weeks…" Ruby exhaled, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

"I know," Jo chimed in loudly from the kitchen retrieving the eggs. "It's going to be so much fun, Bel…everything will be perfect."

Bela sent her friends a brief look of gratitude and then gradually relaxed and everyone felt more at ease. A slightly uncomfortable silence overtook the apartment Jo cast a quick glance toward Dean, who was making a point of looking staring into the refrigerator and trying his best not to acknowledge anyone in the room.

Ruby made herself comfortable at the kitchen table "So what are you wearing on your date tonight? Any ideas?"

Jo tensed as she reached for a plate to place her scrambled eggs. "No not really."

Dean slammed the refrigerator door and took the milk carton to the counter where the cereal box was sitting.

Meg seemed to sense the tension and turned abruptly to face Jo, a wicked gleam in her eye.

"So, Jo, a date, huh? I sure hope you're on the pill now, am I right?"

Bela and Ruby's mouth fell open and a collective groan echoed through the kitchen. Jo could feel Dean's eyes on her and when she turned her head, his eyes were clouded over with darkness. The second their eyes met, his head snapped to the face of Meg who immediately arched her eyebrow and smiled.

"What makes you say that?" he spat out.

Meg shook her head side to side with a look of pity on her face. "Well, Dean, you're quite the experienced dater…I'm sure you know the hazards of the first date. It's better to be prepared, don't you think so, Jo?"

All eyes were suddenly on Jo. She decided to make light of the subject. "Well, Meg, if I remember correctly from Biology, going back on the pill right now wouldn't do me much good for _tonight_, now would it?"

Ruby erupted into a fit of laughter at that comment while Bela rolled their eyes, in disgust and disinterest. Castiel tensed a bit in response to the moment and Dean seemed to be frozen where he sat.

"And are you saying you're planning on sleeping with him tonight?" Dean asked sarcastically, his green eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

Jo's head whipped around to face him as she took her plate to the table and she fought the urge to slap him across the face. "You really think I would do that, Dean?"

"Dean, calm down. Meg and Jo were just joking." Castiel offered soothingly.

Dean seemed to relax a little at that but Jo, on the other hand, was trying to figure out how to eat her eggs as quick as possible so they could get out of the apartment.

On her last bite, she slammed her fork down and motioned towards the door. "Let's go."

Bela grabbed her sweater from the chair and Ruby moved quickly. "Dean, I trust you and Castiel will be meeting Michael and Sam at the shop."

Omitting Meg's name wasn't lost on anyone.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean waved her off "We're going to get Sammy as soon as we're done here."

Bela nodded and the three girls walked out of the door.

"Oh my God," Ruby said once they exited the building "Meg is back."

"I can't believe Dean would stand for that," Bela added "She'd better not get any illusions that she's invited to the wedding."

"I wonder if she'll even stick around that long,"Ruby asked and added "Poor Cas."

All three girls were quiet for a moment.

"Dean didn't seem surprised she was there. I'm guessing he and Castiel talked already," Jo broke the silence.

No one replied as they jumped into Bela's jag. The ride continued without any further comment about their surprise guest and they pulled up to the bridal shop in one piece.


	11. Here We Go Again

**Here We Go Again – Demi Lovato**

_You never know what you want  
And you never say what you mean  
But I start to go insane  
Every time that you look at me_

_You only hear half of what I say  
And you're always showing up too late  
And I know that I should say goodbye  
But it's no use  
Can't be with or without you!  
Oh oh_

_So how did you get here under my skin?  
I swore that I'd never let you back in  
Should've known better than trying to let you go  
'Cause here we go go go again_

Leaning against a large silver Suburban, Michael Novak's blue eyes immediately lit up as Bela exited the car. Castiel's big brother was handsome with his blond hair and light blue eyes. It was a wonder how he was related at all to Castiel and Gabriel who both had darker hair and eyes. If Michael hadn't looked exactly like his father, people would have often wondered if he had been adopted like Raphael. Michael possessed all the qualities most firstborns had, he was confident and vocal, a true leader of his brothers. He was popular, smart and funny but not to an obnoxious. What Jo liked best about Michael was that he made a very spoiled Bela into an actual human being. Jo felt her breath hitch as Michael placed a tender kiss on Bela's forehead before placing a lingering one on her lips.

"I thought you'd never get here," he told her giving her a heart stopping half grin.

At the same moment, the black Impala pulled up and the Winchester brothers hopped out with Castiel bringing up the rear.

Ruby and Bela practically skipped inside, with their mates following closely behind, leaving Dean, Jo and Castiel in the dust. Cas took one glance at the brewing storm both and hurried inside.

Jo started walking up the stairs to the front of the shop when she heard Dean sigh loudly behind her. She felt his firm grip on her arm and she let him pull her back. She turned around to face him and was met with serious, apologetic eyes.

She didn't care. He opened his mouth to speak but she stopped him.

"Whatever you're going to say…I don't want to hear it."

"You don't even know what I'm gonna say," Dean replied

"And if the day goes as planned, I won't have to," she gave him a sarcastic smile before she turned on her heel and left him standing at the entrance of the store. The second she was inside, she was immediately pulled into a dressing room, with the sky blue bridesmaid's dress Bela had painstakingly picked out waiting for her on a hanger.

She sighed and started doing her 'bridesmaid' duty. She was grateful that Bela had asked Ruby to be her maid of honour. She didn't think she could have handled the stress of dealing with Bela and her eye for details. She didn't even want to think about the things Ruby had had to do as maid of honor even though she knew Ruby was more than happy to help with wedding plans, regardless of Bela's controlling nature. And right about now, she was more worried about being paired up with Dean for the walk down the aisle. Bela's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Joanna, are you almost done? Come on, I want to make sure the seamstress got the alterations right."

She sighed again and quickly stepped out of the dressing room. Bela was fluffing Ruby's dress as she stood by the largest mirror in the shop, admiring the way the fabric looked on her petite frames. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the guys crowding next to each other in a nearby mirror admiring the way they looked in their tuxes, and she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. The scene was just too priceless.

"Seriously, Bela…did you have to pick baby blue ties and cumberbunds?" Sam complained.

"Yeah, it might as well have been pink." Dean agreed, tugging on his tie.

Bela promptly marched over to the boys and helped Dean straighten his tie. "Keep talking like that, Winchester, and it will be pink…just for you. And by the way, Samuel, you're not wearing _baby blue,_ you're wearing Azure mist. There's a difference and if you don't shut your mouth, I'll kick your ass."

"Bring it, Bela. You may be meaner but I'm not scared of you." Sam said mockingly. "Michael, do you let your woman talk to people this way? Reign her in."

Michael smiled but said nothing. He was wise enough to know to stay out of this one.

"Come on guys," Jo laughed, finally making her presence known. "Play nice now."

Bela smiled happily when she caught sight of her. "Oh Joanna! It looks perfect on you…come on…Ruby, get off of there, you had your turn in front of the mirror!"

Ruby stuck out her bottom lip to pout but surrendered when she saw the fierce look on Bela's face.

"Fine," she relented with a sly grin. "Whatever Bridezilla wants, Bridezilla gets."

Bela didn't even flinch. She was much too preoccupied with getting Jo onto the platform and in front of the mirror to even notice. She helped Jo up and swooshed the skirt of the dress around her to get the full effect.

"There…nothing to worry about." Bela whispered to Jo reassuringly. "You're going to look beautiful just not as beautiful as me."

Both girls just grinned at each other into the mirror until Ruby's frowning face emerged.

"Alright, Rubes. I'm getting down…" Jo laughed, feeling happy for the first time in days.

"Yay!" Ruby clapped her hands happily and immediately pounced back onto the platform to admire herself as soon as Jo vacated it.

Jo just shook her head and laughed as she watched Bela flit between the two mirrors, poking and prodding at Castiel and Michael.

"Bela, I know how to dress myself. I've been doing it for 26 years." Michael said trying to get away from her clutches.

When her face dropped, he immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, love. Go ahead and finish. Is this how I should tie it?"

Jo smiled at the genuine affection Michael had for his fiancée.

"Ok who started the party without us?" Gabriel asked as he entered the room with Raphael in tow.

"You're perpetually late," Michael looked over while Bela adjusted his tie. "You'll be late to your own funeral."

"Better late than never," Gabriel laughed as he shook hands with the boys and gave hugs to the girls.

Jo smiled as she watched her friends. It was a surreal situation. She was just about to go back into her dressing room to change when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Can we talk?"

She turned around to meet Dean's pleading eyes and bit her lip, trying to decide if there was a way out of this. He was the last person she wanted to be talking to but there weren't many places in the shop where she could run and hide. She nodded helplessly and allowed him to lead her to the opposite side of the shop, where the men's dressing rooms where.

He opened a dressing room and motioned for her to get inside. She shook her head profusely, immediately fearing any type of close proximity to him. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she said "No."

"Jo, I want to talk to you privately," he replied trying to restrain his annoyance.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment to regain her bearings. When she opened them, she felt a renewed sense of strength. "Fine."

She glared at him as she walked into the dressing room and he quickly followed, shutting the door behind him. When she turned around, she realized with horror how cramped the dressing room really was. Their faces were mere inches apart and suddenly, she wished she hadn't given in to him. Somehow, though, she always ended up giving in to him.

He sighed deeply. When his eyes met hers, there was a determination in them.

"Look Jo" he began unsteadily. "I know I'm not your favorite person right now and I know you don't want to talk to me. But I have something to say and you're going to have to listen whether you like it or not."

Her brown eyes narrowed slightly as he continued. He braced for a verbal assault but she didn't speak. He took it as a good sign and continued.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday and I'm sorry I was a jerk. But you need to listen to me. I don't want you to go out with Rick tonight."

Her heart practically froze in place. "What?"

"Remember last night when I told you he was an asshole? He might have seemed nice and polite to you then but trust me, he's not."

Her jaw clenched tightly and she backed away from him as much as the small space would let her. "How would you know that?"

"Because I've seen it. The Roadhouse isn't the only bar he goes to, Jo. And I've seen him with girls and I've heard stories about him…look, he just gets what he wants from them and then he throws them away. Just…do yourself a favor and cancel your plans with him tonight."

Jo was practically seething. "Oh, so he just gets what he wants from them and then he throws them away, huh? Wow, that sounds awfully familiar, don't you think? Remind me again where I've seen that behavior before…hmm…oh yeah..YOU."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't about me. This is about you and that guy…Jo, he's a scumbag and you shouldn't let yourself get within ten miles of him. I'm telling you because you're my friend."

"Your friend? Your friend?" her eyebrows rose angrily and she bit down hard on her lip. "Ok so we're friends…so why can't you just be happy for me like a friend? I mean I realize it's like the first date I've been on since I moved in with you and Cas but I'm a girl..every now and then guys ask me out. Why do you have to argue with me about a date? It doesn't make any sense."

He looked down at the floor and exhaled in frustration. "That's not it, Jo. That's not it at all. Rick isn't going to make you happy. Trust me, Jo, please trust me on this."

"Just shut up, Dean. How can you pass judgment on someone like this when you do the exact same thing you're accusing him of? You know what? I don't care. Maybe he is exactly what you said he is but I'm going to find out for myself. Get off _your_ fucking high horse and leave me alone. What do you care anyway if Rick uses me and throws me away?"

Dean's greens eyes narrowed dangerously and she could see the same vein she had noticed yesterday threatening to pop pulsing on his forehead. He opened his mouth to speak and when nothing came out, she just continued her rant.

"And I can't believe you think I might actually consider sleeping with someone on the first date. I'm not like _you_…oh wait, you don't even take girls out on dates, do you? No…you just bring them back to your room, use them, and throw them away. And every time a guy takes an interest me, you just have to go and find something about him that you don't like. I'm sick of it! Don't act all self-righteous with me, Dean, because you have absolutely zero right to tell me what to do. I'm going to go out with him tonight and I'm going to have a good time. You can't stop me."

"Fine," he bit out. "Do what you want. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Jo just pushed past him and furiously opened the dressing room door, only to find Castiel, Sam and Gabriel waiting outside with amused expressions on their faces.

"So…what were you doing in there, Jo?" Sam asked carefully.

"Don't start with me, Sam," Jo spat out as she pushed past her friends to take off her dress.

The three of them watched her go, wincing as she left. All eyes were on Dean when he finally emerged from the dressing room. He looked exhausted, livid, and completely frustrated.

"Geez, Dean, what'd you do to her?" Sam asked curious.

"I told her not to go out with some douchebag." He answered simply, throwing his hands up in the air helplessly.

Bela walked over to see the commotion and jabbed a pointed finger into his chest. "You need to stop this, Dean. Jo can take care of herself. If she wants to go out on a date, then she can. I, for one, am happy for her. You blew your chance."

Dean chewed on his lip. "Yeah, that may be true but you don't know this guy. He's bad news."

She just shrugged her shoulders and scowled.

"How do you know him exactly?" Castiel asked carefully loosening the tie around his neck much to Bela's disapproval.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I've seen him around the club and at other bars. He's got a bad reputation and I don't want her to go out with him."

Gabriel smiled slyly. "So…if you don't want her to go out with him, then who should she go out with?"

Dean's brow furrowed with frustration and his eyes narrowed. "Jo can date whoever she wants, just as long as it's not him."


	12. Close To Me

**Close To Me – The Cure**

_I've waited hours for this  
I've made myself so sick  
I wish I'd stayed asleep today  
I never thought that this day would end  
I never thought that tonight could ever be  
This close to me_

Castiel was happy to get away from the pre-wedding activity. Although he adored his brother and future sister-in-law, there was only so much he could take watching her and Michael be a perfect couple.

He had left Meg alone at the apartment while they were at the dress shop. And even though she promised not to take off on him, he never knew if he could trust that she'd be there when he returned. He half expected her to be on her way.

Without any provocation, his thoughts turned to Dani. He missed his friend and had the urge to see her. He took out his cell phone and dialed instinctively.

"Hello?" came the small voice on the other end.

Castiel didn't even consider if she was still angry at him and for a second, he almost hung up

"Hello?" she said again "Cas?"

"Danielle," Cas managed to croak out "I didn't think you'd answer."

She laughed warmly, a good sign "Do you want me to hang up so you can call again and get my voicemail?"

Castiel smiled into the phone "No, certainly not."

Rustling sounds could be heard in the background "What's up?"She asked.

"Not much..I was wondering..what you were doing? Thought maybe we could catch up, get a cup of coffee. I owe you one."

"Yeah you do," she emphasized and laughed again "And normally I'd say I'd love to but I'm on my way to sound check."

"Oh," Castiel said softly "I see."

"I need to be there early, you know..since I was…late…Charlie and Chuck might kick me out…"

"Where would they find such a skilled musician to replace you?" he said, his voice a little bit deeper.

"Well you know Charlie's been trying to get Dean up there, and he's pretty good."

"He's not as pretty though."

"Half the female population might disagree with you there," she replied "And it might raise the band's popularity."

"Hmm, I'll take your word for it."

"You could..come to sound check…I mean, if you wanted," she offered, trying not to sound overeager. "We could hang out afterward, get coffee, I mean only if you want."

"25?" Castiel asked glancing at his watch.

"See you then!" Dani answered excitedly.

Castiel could hear the music before he even walked into the Roadhouse. Coming through the door, he noticed the lights were on. He'd been there during the day many times but it was always funny to him how different everything looked with the lights on.

He nodded to Garth who was standing behind the bar, cleaning glasses as the sounds of Hot Chelle Rae's Honestly resounded in the background with Charlie singing the lyrics to Gilda sat in her chair swaying, giggling at the attention. Danielle had her rayban's on but seemed to be looking down at her fingers. Even Chuck was lost in the beat of the music.

"Hey Garth."

"Hey man, what's going on?"

"Not much," Cas replied "I'm here to see the band rehearse."

"You're in luck. They are running through the fun set right now." Garth arched his eyebrow in their direction.

"Fun set?" Castiel asked "I've never heard them play this."

"Tom usually makes 'em stay close to the mainstream but sound check is free reign. It's not even really sound check. It's mostly a jam session."

Castiel turned in time to catch the last notes of the guitar and the girls laugh. Walking toward the stage, the band finally got a glance at him.

"Castiel!" Charlie cried, a slight lisp noticeable, pushing her wild head hair out of her face, "What are you doing here?"

Castiel smiled at Danielle before turning his attention to Charlie "I heard I could catch rare tracks if I hit the sound check, so here I am."

"Awesome," Chuck said as he twirled his drum sticks. "It's nice to have another male around. Maybe you can convince them to play some classic stuff."

"We just did some Styx," Gilda said rolling her eyes.

Charlie looked over at Dani, waggling her eyebrows "Why don't we play the one you've been working on?"

"No!" Dani replied swiftly pulling off her glasses and placing them on the drum platform "Not that one."

"Why not?" Gilda asked "It's coming along really good."

"Maybe later," Dani replied strumming her guitar strings, not making eye contact with Castiel. He wondered why she was reacting that way.

"Yeah that one doesn't have much drum action," Chuck hit his cymbals.

"Any requests, Castiel?" Gilda asked seriously.

"Uhm.."Castiel replied appearing in deep thought "One Direction?"

Charlie laughed as Dani strummed the opening notes of "One Thing."

"Wait, no," Castiel interrupted "I was kidding. Danielle, should I be concerned that you actually know how to play that song?"

"Come on, Cas, you know I adore One Direction," she answered a look of honesty on her face.

"Me too," Gilda gushed from her stool

"Who doesn't like preteen girls?" Charlie asked seriously "Oops I mean boys…"

"I'm not playing that shit," Chuck chimed in.

"Ok Chuckles, how bout some Fleetwood Mac." Charlie replied, taking a sip of her water.

"Hell yeah," Chuck replied excitedly "Let's rock it."

"Time to go to work, babe," Charlie told Gilda who nodded and picked up her tambourine.

"Take a verse each?" Gilda asked Dani who replied while screwing the top of her water bottle back on and tossing it"Yeah."

Castiel pulled chair from one of the tables in the corner to the center of the dance floor as Chuck counted off.

After a few more numbers, sound check was done and Dani slung her messenger bag across her chest after putting her guitar back in its case.

Castiel was climbing the stairs of the stage to help her carry her stuff.

"Let's try to be on time tonight," Charlie joked playfully punching at Dani as she and Gilda walked by hand in hand.

"I'll do my best," Dani deadpanned.

"Sure you will," Charlie's eyes widened and she stared at Castiel "Later, Cas."

"Good evening Ladies," Castiel replied flashing them a smile.

Danielle turned toward him as she picked up her guitar case.

"You were great," he told her, as he automatically took the case from her to carry.

Dani laughed "You've seen us play before. We weren't any different than we normally are."

"No it was…You all were definitely more…," he said tilting his head as he tried to explain. "relaxed."

"Hmm," she said softly "I guess you're right. .I mean, it's a lot of fun."

"I'm sorry for what I said the other day, about this not being your job."

She shrugged "I knew what you meant. I was just being..sensitive."

Castiel smiled and shook his head "There seems to be a lot of that going around."

"Dean and Jo still fighting?" she asked as they got to his Mustang.

"Like cats and dogs," he said looking grim as he started the engine and threw the car in gear, "I don't understand it."

"Understand what?" Dani asked surprised as she opened the car door and got in.

He put the key in the ignition and back threw the car in reverse but didn't miss a conversational beat. "Why they act like that? I mean he loves her and she obviously loves him but instead of doing the adult thing and admitting it to each other…well, it's like we're in fifth grade all over again."

"Did he tell you that he loved her? He really said that?" Dani wasn't sure she could ever imagine those words passing Dean's lips.

Castiel's eyebrows furrowed and he glanced over at her as he drove "Well, no, not in so many words, but he didn't have to. I mean I live with them. And I know Dean…better than….anyone save maybe Sam."

Dani nodded and he continued "And she's got a date tonight. Dean's going to pace the floor until she walks through the door in one piece."

Cas' warm chuckle spread through the car "Charlie has the biggest mouth, doesn't she?"

"She likes to share. So I wonder why doesn't he just tell her how he feels about her?" Dani shrugged.

Pulling into the parking lot of the coffee bar, he put the car in park. A silence fell over them as they climbed out of the car. They walked a bit before he looked over at her a sad smile on his face "Its' never that easy, is it? "

Dani's heart was heavy because she didn't really know if he was still talking about Dean and Jo or himself and Meg or maybe even her and him. Trying to change subject, she laughed softly "Castiel, don't you ever run a brush through your hair?"

He lifted his hand to touch the inky mess. "Not as often as I probably should."

She lifted her hand to push back a stray lock of hair from his forehead.

His blue eyes searched hers before asking "Better?"

"Perfect," she said blushing

"How long do we have before you have to head back to the bar?" he asked turning away, as if embarrassed.

Dani looked down at her watch and shrugged slightly. "A couple of hours."

He took a deep breath and reached over to take her hand "Let's get some coffee."


	13. Comfortably Numb

**Comfortably Numb –Pink Floyd**

There is no pain you are receding  
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon  
You are only coming through in waves  
Your lips move  
But I can't hear what you're saying

Several hours later, Jo was just putting the finishing touches to her makeup. After hours of looking through her closet, she had almost passed out with elation when she found her long-forgotten little black dress. It was her favourite and she felt her sexiest when she wore it. She took great pains to apply her makeup to perfection. Her long blond hair cascaded around her shoulders in soft curls, her lids were coated with smoky black eye shadow and liner, and she had carefully layered several applications of deep back mascara, effectively making her brown eyes pop. She had to admit that it felt really great to get dressed up.

"You are going to make his eyes pop right out of his head." Meg told her as she took in Jo's handiwork from the mirror.

Jo was surprised to find the girl watching her but easily pushed it aside. If Dean could pretend it was normal to have Meg around for Castiel's sake, the least Jo could do was follow suit. "You think?" she asked as she replaced the applicator back into the mascara tube.

She focused on her date and immediately felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. Even her stomach was doing flip-flops. She couldn't remember the last time she had been on a real date. As far as she could tell, Rick was nothing like how Dean had described him. He had even called an hour before to confirm their plans, which were dinner and then drinks afterward. So far, he had been nothing but a gentleman to her and she knew that deep down, Dean was just being Dean. If he was unhappy, then he did whatever he could to make everyone else unhappy. And she was positive that he had no reason to be happy with his life.

"Alright, time to knock 'em dead, killer." she told her reflection before walked out of the bathroom to wait for Rick to arrive. Jo should have known they'd all try to show up to get a good look at her and her date before the big event. At the sound of the bathroom door shutting behind them, the three boys, who had been engrossed in the football game on TV, turned around.

"Hey," Ruby smiled. "You look great, Jo!"

"Yeah," Meg chimed in just keeping her presence felt"I hope Castiel gets back before you leave. He'll never believe me that you were this dressed up."

Jo tried not to look as annoyed as she felt "Let's hope he doesn't. I don't need any more of an audience than I already have."

Sam's eyes widened slightly when he finally caught sight of her. "Wow, Jo…you look fantastic…Are you sure you're going to be ok with this guy?"

"Aww Rubes, look at Sam, he's in big brother mode. Trust me, I know what I'm doing," she assured him.

Ruby nodded proudly at Sam for his compliments and looked expectantly at Dean, who had yet to say anything. His eyes flickered over Jo's frame then he turned back around, his attention back on the game as if nothing had happened.

"Dean," Ruby said through clenched teeth. "Everyone else said something nice to Jo; don't you have something nice to say?"

He sighed in frustration and turned back around to face her. His eyes swept over her one more time before he offered: "You look…taller."

Ruby was about to say something when a knock came swiftly from the front door. She squealed and leapt in front of Jo, almost knocking her over, to get to the door first.

"Geez Ruby," Meg drawled slowly "This is Jo's first date not yours."

Ruby gave Meg a scathing glare before she threw open the door to reveal a waiting Rick, who was dressed in a white button-down shirt with a few of the top buttons undone and dark pants. Much to Jo's surprise, he was much better-looking than she had given him credit for. She hadn't really trusted her alcohol-hazed memory and was glad to see that she had had nothing to worry about.

Rick dutifully shook Sam and Ruby's outstretched hands. He grinned at Meg and offered his hand which Meg took but with a tense look on her face that Jo didn't quite understand. But Dean had remained seated on the couch, his attention completely centered on the TV.

"Have fun, Jo!" Ruby waved excitedly from the door as she gently pushed them outside.

Rick grinned good-naturedly, extending his arm out to her. Jo laughed nervously and hooked her arm in his.

"Ready to go to dinner?" He asked smoothly.

She nodded and allowed him to lead her downstairs and into the waiting cab.

Fifteen minutes later, they were already sitting at their table in the restaurant, which Rick had reserved for them hours before. Jo was nervously scanning the menu, trying to desperately to find something that was under thirty dollars.

Rick closed his menu and took a drink from his wineglass. "So, where are you from Jo?"

She looked up quickly, surprised. "Uh…I'm from Lawrence, Kansas, actually. How about you?"

He smiled and bit his lip. "Kansas City. So…I'm sorry, but I have to ask…how did you end up with two guys for roommates?"

Jo laughed and shook her head. "It's ok…you're definitely not the first one to ask that. It's simple. I shared an apartment with my best friend Ruby and her boyfriend lived with his brother and their best friend. When they decided to live together, we just swapped places."

"So you moved in with two strange guys?" he asked her with a lovely grin on his face.

"Oh no, we're not strangers. I basically grew up with all of them. Anyway, we all ended coming here to Kansas State. They are really great guys. I love living with them." Ok Jo, don't lay it on too thick.

Rick laughed heartily as she came to the end of her story. "Hmm, sounds like it. So do you mind if I grill you a little? You know...just get the awkward, first date, getting to know you questions out of the way so we can just move right past that…"

She shrugged, feeling a blush redden her cheeks. Good thing it was dark in the restaurant. "Yeah, sure. Only if I can ask you questions too though…"

He nodded. "Of course…alright, first things first…what were you like in high school?"

She smiled…of course that question would come up first. "It's funny you should ask that…I don't actually think I've changed much. I've had the same group of friends for years. Sam and Gabriel, you haven't met him yet, are like my best friends in the world. We weren't super popular but we weren't outcasts either. I'm kind of the chatter box of the group, definitely a tomboy but definitely studious."

"Did that carry into college?"

"Well not so much of a tomboy anymore..well maybe alittle , yeah."

He laughed again. "Alright…fair enough. Well, I'll be completely honest with you…I tended to focus more on music. I'm a guitar player and song writer. I didn't study much. I was lucky to even be accepted into college."

She smirked at that. "Well, you know what they say, opposites attract."

He nodded, returning her grin. She felt her cheeks redden again and couldn't believe how well this was going.

"Alright, next question. Who was your…date for your senior prom?"

Jo bit her lip. "Uh…it was Dean actually."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? Wow, I wasn't expecting that."

"Yeah, well, I had kind of broken up with my boyfriend a day before…so he kind of stepped in, He borrowed a tux, and he took me to the dance."

"Wow…I never thought the guy had it in him. I'd say I was impressed but then I think we both know Dean a little better than that…" He trailed off, a sly smile crossing his face.

"Do you know Dean very well?" Jo asked curiously

Rick gave a quick laugh "Just what I hear from the female population. He's quite a ladies man."

She huffed. "You can say that again…anyway, so what's your major?"

"Business with a Music minor. And you?"

"English…I'll probably end up teaching."

He nodded. "I can see that."

The waiter brought them their food and poured them both another glass of wine. They started eating and Jo was relieved that she was feeling relaxed and calm. So far so good.

After Rick paid their bill, he escorted her out and led her to a bar next door. The music was pumping loudly and she was glad that she had had some wine before. She would feel a lot less awkward out on the dance floor with him now. And even if she looked like a complete spazz, at least he had been drinking already too…maybe she would get lucky and he wouldn't notice how hopeless she was on the dance floor.

He led her up to the bar and gestured to the bartender.

"So what'll it be, miss?" He said with glinting eyes.

She laughed. "Uh…get me a tequila sunrise…"

His eyebrows rose quickly. "Tequila? My kinda girl…"

She smiled and found herself laughing again. It had been a long time since she had laughed this much…especially on a date. "I'm just going to find the bathroom…I'll be right back."

He nodded and waved to her as she walked away, the same smile on his face that she was starting to find very attractive.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she was pleased to see that her makeup job had, for the most part, stayed put. She only needed to reapply a little of the lip gloss.

Her heart fluttered a little when she remembered she needed to get back to Rick. He was waiting for her. She smiled at her reflection at that thought. It was nice to have someone waiting for her. Especially someone that seemed to be genuinely interested in her, in getting to know her, in making an effort to make her feel special and wanted. When was the last time that had happened?

Taking one last look in the mirror, she quickly left the bathroom and weaved through the now crowded bar to find him sitting at the bar. As she sat down, he grinned and pushed her tequila sunrise gently towards her.

He leaned into her and she could feel his warm breath on her ear. "There you go…as promised."

She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and closed her eyes a little. He was…definitely something. He really knew just want to do to get a girl going. Maybe, just maybe, he was someone worth keeping around for a little while, if even for the night. Quickly pushing away what she had told Dean earlier that day, she was quickly beginning to change her mind…calculating the last time she had been intimate with a guy. It had been…much too long and the number of her partners were definitely few and far between. And here Rick was, smiling at her like she was the only person in the entire place, like she was the only person he wanted to be with…and that was a good feeling. Maybe, just maybe, she could break her rule just for tonight. Even if she never saw him again after tonight, she never did anything impulsive. Never did anything scandalous. She was always the good girl. Well, it was time for the bad girl to come out and play. She downed the rest of her drink.

After letting Rick buy her another tequila sunrise, this time ordering a double, she let him lead her out onto the dance floor. She felt his hands skim up the sides of her hips and she felt her body lean into him. It felt good dancing with him, even as her mind was swimming with the wine and now two mixed drinks she had had, it felt good to be dancing with him like that. Another song started playing and she felt him pull her even closer into his body. His hands rested firmly on her hips and soon, his hands were around her back and tangled in her hair. Good Jo had all kinds of alarms going off in her head, but bad Jo didn't mind one bit.

They kept moving on the dance floor, neither one really paying attention to anyone else on the dance floor. Another song came on, then another, and then another…and Jo had lost count of how many drinks she had. When Rick moved a hand carefully to the side of her breast and she didn't even try to stop him. If that was where this night was going then…that's where it was going. She didn't care anymore.

It was then that something started to feel off. Her head was started to pound and her vision was so blurry she was seeing two of everything. Her head tipped back as her eyes rolled in the back of her head. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. This was different than just feeling drunk. This was…something else. Her body started to tingle and she felt like she was going to pass out.

Something snapped in her head and she immediately pushed away from Rick. He started to pull her closer but she pushed her hands fiercely against his chest.

"No…get off me…I don't feel well…I'm just going to the bathroom…I'll be right back, ok?"

"Come on, Jo…you look alright to me…you're fine, just trust me…"

Trust me. In the fog, she vaguely remembered someone else saying that to her and she felt like she was going to be sick. "What did you give me?"

"What?" he asked feigning innocence "What are you talking about, baby? You're fine."

"Oh my fucking God, you drugged me," she slurred a bit as she staggered forward, trying to determine if she could land a decent punch. "I should kick your ass."

"Come on, Jo, don't make a scene." He pulled her into him again and she pushed him off again this time a little rougher, this time, getting a few worried reactions from the other dancers around them. Rick seemed to immediately recognize this and he let her go without a fight. Probably didn't want to make a scene.

Jo stumbled into the bathroom and leaned on the sink. The room felt like it was turning upside down right before her eyes and the colors splattered on the floor were swimming together at an alarming speed.

With shaky fingers, she fumbled in her purse for her phone and hit the speed dial. "Ruby," she slurred.

"Jo…what's wrong?" Ruby answered worriedly.

She winced and fought desperately to stay awake long enough. "God damn it, I think this douchebag drugged me…"


	14. Grenade

Grenade – Bruno Mars

Cause what you don't understand is

I'd catch a grenade for ya

Throw my hand on a blade for ya

I'd jump in front of a train for ya

You know I'd do anything for ya

I would go through all this pain,

Take a bullet straight through my brain,

Yes, I would die for ya baby;

But you won't do the same

Ruby furiously slammed her phone shut and met the worried eyes of her friends.

"I think he slipped something into her drink…" she said quietly waiting for the explosive reactions.

Dean's eyes widened and he gripped the edge of the seat to steady himself. Then his eyes glazed over with fury. In a split second, he was off the couch and heading to the kitchen.

"I knew something like this would happen," Meg announced loudly, almost embarrassed.

Dean turned to glare at her "What do you mean you knew this would happen?"

Meg shrugged "Let's just say Richard isn't known for keeping his drugs or his hands to himself."

"And you knew this and didn't say anything?" Dean roared.

"I didn't realize he was Jo's date till he got here," she retorted

"And you didn't think about mentioning any of that to Jo?" Dean asked.

"She wouldn't have believed it coming from me anymore than she would have believed it coming from you! You know she's hard headed."

Dean stared Meg down. It was killing him that she was right but still she should have opened her mouth. "I don't have time for you. Where are my keys?"

"Keys?" Sam stood walking towards his brother. "Here they are."

Dean tried to snatch them from his hand.

"Whoa Dean, I don't think you should be driving in your state of mind. C'mon I'll drive."

"Give me..the fucking keys…now." Dean said inching closer to him. He'd meant to intimidate his little brother.

"I'll drive you." Sam said pulling himself to his full height and Dean realizing he didn't match up, he relented halfway.

"Let's go." Dean said begrudgingly with a bit more respect for his brother.

"Sam wait!" Ruby yelled trying to stop him. But they were already out the door."I'm going to follow them."

"We'll never catch them." Meg replied grabbing her jacket as they hurried out of the door.

When they reached the parking lot, they found Castiel pulling his Mustang into the parking lot.

Ruby frantically opened the door and motioned to Meg "Get in."

"What's going on?" Castiel asked as Ruby jumped in.

"Drive." Ruby demanded.

"Where am I going? Ruby, what's going on?" he asked again

"Gatsby, go to Gatsby." Ruby yelled

"Why?" Castiel asked

"Jo's date drugged her and Dean and Sam are on their way to get her." Meg offered since Ruby couldn't seem to make the words come out of her mouth.

Castiel gripped the steering wheel tighter and sped up, hoping to catch Dean before he did something stupid.

Sam sped through the traffic weaving in between the cars that passed and honked at him in annoyance. He knew he was driving like a maniac but he was in a hurry.

After both vehicles arrived in the parking lot, Dean jumped out before Sam could even pull to a complete stop. Castiel pulled the Mustang to a screeching halt and everyone jumped out. Both guys took off like lightning bolts after Dean, with Ruby and Meg lagging behind them. They managed to gain some ground when Dean was abruptly halted by the line formed outside the bar. He tried pushing through the line but was roughly forced back by the bouncer. Dean coiled up and looked like he was going to take a swing before Sam grabbed his arm and held him back.

"Please, sir," Ruby gasped frantically to the bouncer, who was none too happy. "My friend's in there and she's passed out in the bathroom…please, just let us in so we can get her some help…"

The bouncer looked between Ruby's desperate face to Dean's crazed eyes and after a moment's hesitation, he nodded and let them pass through the ropes. As they sprinted inside, Dean pushed Ruby towards the direction of the bathroom.

"Go get her." He yelled loudly at the two girls.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Ruby asked with wide eyes looking from Dean to Sam to Castiel.

His jaw clenched and even though the lights were dimmed, she could see his face had gone red with crazed madness. He didn't answer her, instead, turning swiftly to Sam and Castiel before gesturing towards the bathroom.

"Let's go," he growled.

The girls must have sensed what was going to happen next because they abruptly fled towards the bathroom. After seeing that Jo was going to be taken care of, Dean turned his attention back to the matter at hand and stalked through the bar, Sam and Castiel following closely on his heels. They weaved in and around the throngs of people. As soon as he caught sight of Rick, he let out a sharp snarl and launched himself through the crowd, knocking over a few dancers in the process. Rick didn't even know what hit him.

Within a matter of seconds, Dean swung, connecting with the other man's jaw with a sickly crack. Rick staggered back, knocking over a bar stool and stared at Dean, who was charging back at him with a crazed look in his eye, his breath coming in and out as haggard huffs. He looked like a bull, red in the face, and ready to rear his head into his target.

"Hold him, Cas," Dean barked out. There was a large group of bystanders encircling them now but that didn't matter. Castiel obliged without hesitation, grabbing Rick with an iron grip by the arms with both hands, holding him in just the right place. Sam kept the crowd at a distance.

Dean swung again and again…he pushed Rick out of Castiel's grip and grabbed him violently by the shoulders.

"What? Is this about your roommate?" Rick asked mockingly.

"You son of a bitch!" Dean said.

Rick just wiped the blood from his broken lip and smirked snidely. "Come on…Dean, you know how it works…she doesn't mean anything to me and I wasn't going to do anything she wouldn't like…you should have seen her, pressed up against me. She wasn't going to say no and I was just speeding things up a little bit…"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because Dean ferociously pummeled him square in the jaw. He didn't stop until he was pulled back by three of the bouncers.


	15. You Save Me

**You Save Me – Kenny Chesney**

_Every now and then__  
__I get a little lost__  
__The strings all get tangled__  
__The wires all get crossed__  
__Every now and then__  
__I'm right upon the edge__  
__Danglin' my toes out over the ledge__  
__I just thank God you're here__  
__'Cause when I'm a bullet shot out of a gun__  
__'Cause when I'm a firecracker comin' undone__  
__When I'm a fugitive ready to run__  
__All wild-eyed and crazy__  
__No matter where my reckless soul takes me, baby you save me_

Baby you save me Slowly and painstakingly, Jo was beginning to feel something again. Her body felt like a submarine; heavy, clunky, and slowly but surely, rising up to the surface. Her head throbbed and everything was hazy and dark; but something was starting to feel more normal. Off in the distance, within her cloudy mind, she heard a faint beeping noise and then something cool and damp on her skin. It felt good and she reveled in the fact that it actually made her better, not worse…there were no loud noises like she had remembered before everything had disappeared and she realized she was laying on soft sheets, not the cold tile she remembered from before.

"Jo…can you hear me? " A distant voice was calling through the clouds.

She knew the voice from somewhere but couldn't place it…it was so familiar…it was Sam, she realized with relief. So at least she hadn't lost her mind. Now she wanted more than anything to open her eyes, to let Sam know what she was finally starting to feel better but her body wouldn't let her. She commanded her eyes to open but they didn't listen. Maybe if she could just get something else to move…she willed a finger to lift and heard the beeping off in the distance beep a little faster. There. That wasn't so hard.

"Jo?" She heard Ruby this time. She felt something warm on her arm and realized it was someone's hand gripping hers tightly.

Her eyelid fluttered briefly and she blinked as they slowly came into view.

"Ruby? Sam?" She croaked.

Ruby leaned forward to inspect her before turning her head to whisper loudly: "She's awake!"

"No shit." Bela said under her breath. "Give the girl an MD…we know she's awake..her eyes are open."

"I'll get the nurse." Michael offered rubbing Bela's arm before leaving.

Jo looked around as the clouds began to clear and her brow immediately furrowed in groggy, confusion. "Where am I?"

"You're in the emergency room," Sam said as he got off the bed quickly as another person came in the room.

"Well good morning, Sunshine," the nurse said smiling warmly while checking Jo's IV.

Jo winced and tried to sit up but the nurse's hands firmly kept her in place. "Just take it easy, now…one step at time. How are you feeling?"

"I…ugh…my head really hurts…my stomach doesn't feel too good either…" She responded in a daze.

The nurse nodded good-naturedly and continued to check her over as Sam moved back to his previous position next to Jo.

"What happened?" Jo asked anxiously.

Sam and Ruby exchanged a brief look of silent communication before Sam finally responded.

"Well, Jo, you were right..he spiked your drink."

Her mouth fell open but she shut it just as quickly. "What a dick…I knew I should have punched him."

Everyone chuckled slightly.

"What do else do you remember?" Sam asked. "Anything?"

Jo winced and her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the details but it was a bit hazy. "I…I think so…we went to dinner and then…a bar…I went into the bathroom and he gave me a drink…"

The nurse nodded in understanding. "Yes, that's normal effect from the rohypnol. Don't worry too much about that."

"Ok…so how did I get here?"

Ruby looked at Sam worriedly and when he nodded, she began "Well, you went into the bathroom and called me. You were pissed, by the way. You must have passed out and a girl took the phone and told me what was happening. She stayed with you until I got there. We called an ambulance and got you here as soon as we could.…"

"Sam drove like a bat out of hell..not sure if he was worried for you or scared of Dean." Ruby added.

"I'm not scared of Dean," Sam said trying to sound confident but came off as petulant instead.

Jo laughed as much as her aching body would allow and they all laughed with her, visibly relieved that she was finally starting to look and sound much better. "Where is Castiel?"

"We sent him outside to get coffee." Bela explained. "He kept worrying over every sound your monitors made.."

And as if he'd heard his name called, Castiel strolled in. "Jo, I am glad you are alive… I must say that hairstyle is quite attractive on you."

She just rolled her eyes and smirked. "Gee thanks, Castiel…you sure know how to make a girl feel better."

"Yes I do know how to do that," he said giving her a relieved smile.

Jo eyes roamed around the rest of the room, looking for the one missing person she wanted to see and her heart lurched when she didn't see him. Did he really not care about her at all? Even as a friend. "Where is Dean?" she asked trying to sound casual.

All her friends looked around at each other again before Michael answered her, smirking with a knowing look Jo didn't understand "He's in jail."

A loud fit of laughter erupted from the rest of her friends but Jo's brow just furrowed in confusion. "What? What's he doing in jail?"

Bela shook her head and bit her lip. "When that dumbass found out what had…happened…to you, he hunted Rick down at the bar you guys were at and practically killed him."

"He didn't almost kill him,Bela...you weren't even there" Castiel stated softly with a hint of annoyance.

Bela huffed. "Well, you should know best now wouldn't you, Castiel? You were the one holding him so Dean could tear his head off."

There were more giggles at that and Jo could only blink in shock.

"He's really in jail?"

Sam nodded. "Uh huh, Uncle Bobby is bailing him out right now…don't worry..he won't call Ellen.. Anyway, when the cops came, we all told them what Rick did to you and all they needed to do was look at you to figure out what happened…it probably wouldn't have been nearly as bad if Dean hadn't started punching him again when they got to the police station…"

Another fit of laughter erupted from the group and Jo just shook her head with disbelief. She couldn't belief that she didn't remember any of this. Or that Dean had actually defended her honor. Of all the times to be unconscious…

"I'm sure Bobby loved that call in the middle of the night. So…Rick is in jail too?" she asked expectantly.

Ruby and Bela immediately nodded their heads with certainty.

"Yeah, Dean may be in trouble right now but Rick…he's really in for it." Michael stated.

"Wow…I can't believe that happened…" Jo whispered.

"I know," Castiel joined in. "I always thought Bela would be the first one of us to go to jail."

With that Bela leaned over and slapped Castiel on the back of the head. That provoked another round of laughter, this time with Jo joining in, finally seeing the humor in the situation.


	16. Tell Me A Lie

**First and foremost I wanted to thank everyone for reading and for the awesome feedback. I omitted this chapter before but the more I wrote on the next events, I realized this one was missing. I just moved this one before the last and a new one is coming!**

* * *

**Tell Me A Lie – One Direction**

_Can't ever get it right  
No matter how hard I try  
And I've tried  
Well, I put up a good fight  
But your words cut like knives  
And I'm tired  
As you break my heart again this time_

_Tell me I'm a screwed up mess_  
_That I never listen, listen_  
_Tell me you don't want my kiss_  
_That you need your distance, distance_  
_Tell me anything but don't you say he's what you're missing, baby_  
_If he's the reason that you're leaving me tonight_  
_Spare me what you think and..._  
_Tell me a lie_

Meg closed the magazine she was reading abruptly, tossing it on the small table in the drab hospital waiting room. She hadn't been included in the Jo Harvelle love-fest that was going on right now.

Castiel had gently but persuasively asked her to stay here while they all waited for Jo to wake up from her medicated stupor. Apparently some big mouth had let him know that she was acquainted with Jo's date and had knowledge of his not so nice tactics, probably Ruby. Castiel was probably angry but not in the explosive Dean way..instead he was more like an disapproving parent and that bothered Meg more than anything. She knew now she probably should have mentioned what she knew about Rick before getting Jo's call, but who would have believed her?

Dean would have, her conscience told her. Not because he thinks your trust worthy but because he obviously cares enough about Jo to go to jail for her.

Yeah you probably should have said something but you got distracted with the fact that Castiel hadn't returned home and left you there in the apartment with his friends, alone.

She looked up at the waiting room television to see that it was infomercial time. Geez, she could not wait to get out of there.

As if he'd heard her thoughts, Castiel appears looking tired and more unshaven as he had before.

"You doing ok?" he asked quietly as he took the seat next to her.

"Not really," she admitted "How much longer am I going to have to wait out here? Is the princess awake finally? I assume that's why you're out here. I know you wouldn't leave her bedside until you finished watching over her for your best buddy. "

"Meg," Castiel scolded with his voice "Don't be that way. I'm sorry that you've had to wait…"

"Wait for your friends to all show up and wait out here like a leper that isn't allowed near Sleeping Beauty," she interrupted angrily. "What a joke!"

"Meg, come now. I'm very sorry that I left you out here. If you are ready, I can arrange to have you taken home."

Meg looked at him incredulously "What do you mean you can arrange? Aren't you coming back to the apartment with me?"

Castiel looked uncomfortable "No, I have to wait for Jo to be released. With Dean…otherwise engaged, I'm tasked with taking her home."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," she huffed turning to look away from him.

"No, Meg, I am not fucking kidding you. She's my roommate and it's only logical that I be the one to take her home" he replied evenly. He used the curse word like it was part of his every day vocabulary but Meg could count on one hand the number of times she'd ever heard him utter the word.

She shook her head "Whatever, Cas. No big deal. I can find my own ride. No need for you to 'arrange' anything. I think I'm gonna puke anyway if I have to ride with one of your goody goody friends anyway."

She picked up her jacket and began to put it on as he stood "Where are you going?"

She began to walk down the hospital hallway "Away from you. Away from the Harvelle-Winchester love fest that you always seem to be tied into."

"That's not fair," he said following her as she looked for a hospital exit. "That's not what this is about."

"Oh really?" she asked sarcastically

"No," he replied his usually gravelly voice became angry "It's not. You're pissed because I wasn't home to be at your beck and call."

Meg gave him a sideways glance. The sound of his voice and expression on his face let her know she wasn't dealing with a teenaged Cas. Cute angelic Castiel had finally become a man. "Honestly, Cas, I was waiting for you all day. It's bad enough, I had to wait at the apartment while you and the wedding party went out for a picnic, but you didn't even call?"

"Meg, you didn't have to wait at the apartment for me," he protested angrily.

"I'm here to see you, Castiel, not hang out in your bedroom all day waiting for you while you were out with your girlfriend. And then you leave me out in the waiting room while you tend to Princess Jo. I've been reading the same magazine for over an hour because apparently I'm not worthy to enter the inner sanctum."

"That's not what it was," he reminded her "She was just assaulted and you, you knew the guy and didn't say anything."

No denial on the girlfriend accusation, Meg noticed."What does that have to do with anything? And where is the fucking exit in this place?" she said realizing she had just made a loop.

"You could have told someone that the guy was a scumbag," he added "Meg. Would you stop?"

"Whatever, Cas," she knew he was right but there was no way she was going to admit it. "I was wrong to come here, I'm leaving."

"Why?" he asked "Because my life doesn't revolve you around anymore. What was I supposed to do? Spend my life waiting for you to come around and want to be with me? Wait through the endless line of losers that you hook up and break up with?"

"Is that too much to ask?" she blurted as she stopped finally finding the exit.

"Yes, it is," he said hoarsely behind her. "Do you know what it did to me when you left last time?" He didn't wait for her response "It killed me. It tore me up. And I swore to myself I'd never let you do it again."

"I never wanted you to do that," she contradicted herself, miserably.

"Then what _do_ you want from me?" he asked, his normally serene blue eyes pleading.

"I want …" she couldn't face him and she moved as quickly as her feet could carry her. "I want to get away from here."

"Meg, stop," he called chasing her. "Where are you going?"

"It doesn't matter. I just need to get away from here."

"You're always running, Meg, when are you going to stop running? When are you going to realize that I'm not going to chase you forever?"

Something in his voice stopped turned rapidly, her wavy hair whipping around her, some wild strands in her face. She pushed them aside. She turned so quickly that she was startled to find him following so close behind. They were close enough that she could see his clear blue eyes staring down at her. She could have kissed him if she wanted to. He would kiss her back. That much she knew. It would probably break the tension she felt..the anger of feeling rejection. She knew it would feel warm and safe.

"I gotta go," she said turning again and walking away as fast as her legs could carry her toward the waiting cab a man and his pregnant wife had just exited.

She pounded on the door to let the cab driver know she was getting in and slammed the door behind her.

She took a deep breath to keep the tears from starting.


	17. Crushed

**Crushed- Rosette**

_Crushed__  
__By the sweetest lips I've never kissed__  
__How you bring the tips and the warmest touch I've always missed__  
__Crushed__  
__By the softest hands I've never held__  
__Probably never tell,__  
__You're the strongest love that I've ever felt__  
__Crushed__  
__That I haven't ever let you know__  
__How it always goes__  
__Cuz I lose my nerve whenever you get close__  
__And so I'm left,__  
__Short of breath__  
__With that heavy feeling in my chest__  
__Baby I'm so crushed_

A few hours later, Castiel was helping Jo onto the couch in their apartment. He lifted her head gently and placed a soft pillow under her head before tucking a down blanket around her. He handed her the remote and stood back to admire his handy work.

"Do you need anything else?"

She shook her head and smiled softly up at him. "No, Cas…I'm alright…"

He simply nodded back at her and stood but immediately was right back at her side when he noticed her eyes welling up with tears. He gripped her hand tightly and wrapped a strong arm tightly around her.

"Jo…you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to…" he whispered to her

She just shook her head sitting up, feeling her body tremble as she finally began to feel the weight of everything that had happened to her. It had hit her like a ton of bricks, abruptly and completely without warning. She was finally letting go and allowing her mind to scream out its natural response that she had desperately and stubbornly been repressing since she had woken up. She was finally scared shitless.

She allowed him to wrap his other arm around her in a protective embrace.

"Cas…this is all my fault…"

"No…no…" he soothed "You didn't do anything wrong."

She lifted her head to see his face more clearly and looked him square in the eye. "No…you don't understand, Cas. I…I let him touch me and hold me… I was practically inviting him to sleep with me…"

"Jo," he interrupted sternly. "All of that doesn't mean anything. He was still the one that was trying to take advantage of you…how many drinks did he give you? Think about that…he obviously wanted you to keep drinking and everything you just said was just the effects of the alcohol. It wasn't you. You didn't do anything wrong."

She shook her head desperately and felt another wave of tears flood her eyes. "I was going to sleep with him. I had decided before I came from the bathroom, before he started giving me drinks…I had already made up my mind. God, I just feel so…disgusting…what the hell was I thinking?"

Castiel looked uncomfortable at her admission but he soldiered on "You can't blame yourself for this."

She winced. "I know, I know…I just wish I had listened…"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Listened to who?"

She shook her head. "Never mind…I just want to sleep for a while, alright?"

He nodded and released her gently, her head resting back on the pillow. He stood carefully and walked swiftly over to the lazy-boy across from her.

"I'll be right here in case you need anything. Just let yourself rest now."

"Where is Meg?" Jo asked as she settled under the blanket he'd covered her with.

"Asleep in my room,"he replied as he setup a pillow and a blanket as a make shift bed.

"Is she ok?" Jo asked as she watched him. "She's not angry, is she?"

Castiel shrugged. Meg had been less than happy after the scene at the hospital.. He knew she was also still angry that he'd left her alone for most of the day.

Castiel sighed "She'll get over it."

A brief silence passed over them.

"Why is she back, Cas?" Jo asked curiously, glad to have something else to think about.

"I'm not sure. I presume because she has nowhere else to go. I'm her safety net," he admitted sadly.

"Doesn't that hurt you?"

"Not so much anymore," his sad voice replied in the dark.

"You're a good friend, Castiel."

"Everyone keeps telling me that," he gave a soft chuckle "Rest now, Joanna."

She smiled and exhaled deeply as her eyes closed. This time, she didn't fight the darkness that crept on her. She most definitely welcomed it.

Two hours later, her eyes fluttered open and she stretched out her arms. She sat up carefully, glancing across the room at Cas, who had nodded off in the chair. She smiled to herself and frowned when her stomach grumbled roughly. Ugh. At least she was starting to feel human again. Pushing the blanket soundlessly to the edge of the couch, she swung her legs over the edge and stood up on stiff, slightly uncertain legs. Stretching her arms over her head again, she padded softly to the bathroom and flipped on the light.

The reflection staring back at her might as well have been from a horror movie. She looked like death. Her hair was mashed against one side of her head and the other side was flipping wildly over her head. Her once perfectly lined eyes were now streaked with dark lines from her tears and the raccoon-effect was definitely not flattering on her. Everyone had been so concerned about her but no one had been concerned about how horrifying she looked? The situation was almost comical. Almost. She started the warm water and proceeded to wash the previous evening off her face. When she still didn't feel better, she gave up and decided to take a hot steaming shower and afterwards put on her favourite fuzzy pj's.

Stepping carefully out of the bathroom, so not to wake Castiel, she crept into the kitchen and propped the refrigerator door open. A soft groan escaped her lips as she surveyed the contents of the refrigerator. There was hardly anything in it. A soft smile tugged at her lips as she tried to decide whether to laugh or be angry. They had no problem eating all the food but had absolutely no idea what the inside of a grocery store looked like. Typical.

She jumped when she heard the front door creak open and turned to see Dean coming in. He froze in the doorway at the sight of her and she immediately noticed the black circle around his right eye. She opened her mouth to speak but clamped it shut almost instantaneously.

He bit his lip nervously and ran a hand through his wildly unkempt hair. He looked like he had almost as rough a night as she had. His clothes were rumpled and there was a slight tear in one of his sleeves but it was the look in his eyes that stunned her. He looked exhausted and nearly defeated. Still, there was a glint of worry and concern in those green eyes that she wasn't used to seeing. Especially directed at her.

He seemed to snap out of it and quietly shut the door behind him. He shoved his hands into his pockets and took a few small steps closer.

"So…" he began softly. "Are you alright?"

His eyes were shining with worry and it took her a moment to form words to answer.

"Yeah…I'm pretty much back to normal. Just really tired."

He nodded carefully, his brow furrowed and his eyes locked on hers with clear concern. "And he didn't…he didn't hurt you, right?"

His jaw clenched as he spoke the words and his eyes glinted with a new hardness now.

She nodded quickly and she heard him let out the breath he had been holding.

"I just got home a few hours ago…and Castiel took good care of me."

He nodded gently and his eyes moved to the refrigerator behind her and she realized that she was still standing by it with the door wide open.

"You hungry?" He asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

She nodded. "Yeah, I am…but it looks like some thieves stole all our food."

He smirked and walked around the counter. "Well, I don't know about that but I do know that there's a pizza in the freezer."

He stepped carefully around her, shut the refrigerator for her and began searching for the pizza in the freezer while she turned on the oven. As soon as he shut the door, he was immediately at her side, pushing her gently away from the oven.

"I've got this, Jo. Just, please…"

She rolled her eyes at his insistence and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm perfectly capable of making a pizza."

He sighed with exasperation and stepped in between her and the oven, slowly forcing her backwards until her hips hit the back of the counter.

"I know," he said softly. "Humor me."

He gripped the sides of her hips and lifted her gently onto the counter never breaking eye contact. Time seemed to stop for a moment as he leaned closer. Her heart thundered so loudly she was sure he could hear it. But he abruptly turned back to the oven breaking the spell. When he moved away, she felt cold at the loss of his body heat and confused. She watched him put the pizza in and watched as he ran a hand over his jaw before turning back to her. He leaned against the counter next to the oven and stared nonchalantly at the floor, trying not to meet her gaze.

For some reason, those actions annoyed the hell out of her and she sighed in exasperation and felt her jaw clench with suppressed anger.

"Alright…go ahead and say it."

His head shot up at her voice and his brow furrowed with confusion.

"Say it," she continued with bent-up frustration. "I know you want to…so just get it over with already."

His forehead was deeply creased with confusion now and his head tilted to the side in thought. "Say what?"

Something inside her snapped. "I told you so…go ahead and say it. Say I should have listened to you and that this is all my fault."

Dean's hand gripped the edge of the counter so tightly his knuckles turned white. His face went blank for a split second then it rapidly changed to anger.

"That's what you think I want to say?" He bit out.

She nodded, feeling her arms wrap around herself tightly. He gripped the edge of the counter and she could see that vein pulsing in his forehead again.

"You think," he began again icily. "That's really what I want to say?"

He laughed bitterly and his head whipped around when he heard Castiel stir in the living room. He turned back to Jo after Cas shifted in his sleep.

"So, does it make you happy to know that you were right about him?" She spat.

He shook his head fiercely, taking a cautious step closer to her. "It doesn't make me happy, Jo. How could it possibly make me happy?"

She shrugged and looked away. "I don't know."

He stepped backwards until he was resting against the counter again. "I never wanted anything like this to happen. That's why I warned you about him. But it's not your fault that he was an even bigger asshole than I thought…the fucker deserves everything he gets now."

There was something almost condescending in the way he spoke that pushed her off the edge and suddenly, she couldn't stand being in the same room with him anymore. She was itching to hit something and he was the closest thing to her right now. He'd better watch out.

"And don't think for one second that I'm going to thank you for landing your ass in jail. That was really stupid of you. I can't believe you lost control like that…"

His expression changed abruptly and he matched her rage. "Oh…so, now you're mad at me for beating the shit out of the guy who slipped a date rape drug in your drink? Do they have you on some kind of mind-altering medication? Seriously? You're really going to be pissed at me about this…"

"I just think it was a dumb thing to do. It wasn't going to change anything."

A dark look flashed across his face. "That may be true but he deserved it."

"That may be true but that doesn't mean you had to do it."

"Are you purposely being antagonistic?"

She opened her mouth to respond but closed it when she couldn't think of a decent comeback. He just nodded and his jaw clenched tighter in anger and annoyance. His hands were twisted in tight fists at his side and she wasn't sure if he was going to scream at her or throw the frozen pizza at her.

Instead, he closed the space between them until their faces were only a foot apart. She didn't move. She couldn't move. His fierce eyes held her firmly frozen where she sat.

"Do you want to know what I want to say to you?" he asked reaching to rub her arms with his hands.

He didn't wait for her to respond, continuing to touch her as if to make sure she was real. "I wanted to say that I'm relieved we got there in time. I wanted to say that I'm glad I beat the shit out of him and that spending the night in jail was worth it. And I wanted to say that I'm glad you're alright because if anything ever happened to you…"

He stopped short and his eyes narrowed with malice and he pulled his hands away. "But you don't want to hear what I have to say, do you?"

Then he was gone; a few seconds later, his bedroom door shut quietly behind him, leaving her standing in the kitchen. At that moment, she had never felt so alone.


	18. Sugar, We're Going Down

**Sugar, We're Going Down**

_Is this more than you bargained for yet__  
__Oh don't mind me I'm watching you two from the closet__  
__Wishing to be the friction in your jeans__  
__Isn't it messed up how I'm just dying to be him__  
__I'm just a notch in your bedpost__  
__But you're just a line in a song__  
__Drop a heart, break a name__  
__We're always sleeping in, and sleeping for the wrong team__  
__We're going down, down in an earlier round__  
__And Sugar, we're going down swinging__  
__I'll be your number one with a bullet__  
__A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it_

Castiel glanced down at his watch as he made his way to the campus library. He was meeting Dani to study for their Biology test and he was running late. When he entered, he didn't see her so he went ahead and took their regular table and unpacked his books.

He yawned as quietly, causing him to think about how the last couple of days had drained him both mentally and physically.

Meg had left the apartment in the early morning but didn't bother to wake him up even though he had asked her to. They had shared the same bed for a few nights, the first couple she'd waken up with nightmares. He'd wake up and sooth her and allow her to fall asleep in his arms but it was never much more than that. He was surprised that after their argument at the hospital she had managed to sleep soundly.

He knew she was still angry that he'd left her in the waiting room of the hospital the night of Jo's ordeal but he couldn't help knew that the fact that she knew Jo's attacker would be held against her..especially since she didn't say anything. He was surprised Bela hadn't marched out and berated her. Not that Castiel had to be nervous for Meg. There was no doubt in his mind that she could defend herself against anyone. He just hadn't wanted the scene. But he got one anyway when he chased her down the hallway.

"You're thinking awfully hard over there." Castiel heard a female voice comment.

He looked up to see Dani, her black hair messy in an oversized sweatshirt. For some reason he liked seeing her like this better than seeing her all dressed up.

"Danielle, I saved your seat," he said as he gestured toward her usual chair which she pulled out slowly and began to take her seat.

"I'm sorry I'm late, my history class ran over."

"I just got here myself, "Castiel replied as he searched his messenger bag for his pencil. Searching all the pockets, it was nowhere to be found. He looked up to see Danielle holding a pencil out to him.

He smiled "You know I think you're the only college student that still uses wooden pencils."

She frowned for a second "You know you love them."

As she organized her stuff, Castiel noticed her silver cuff bracelet. "That's a lovely bracelet Danielle, is it new?"

"Um,yeah, kinda," she said turning it over so he could see the design. "This symbolizes the interdependency of nature. This, the relationship of man and Earth. This, the unity of knot of lovers."

Castiel looked up from her wrist and grinned "Unity of lovers?"

Danielle chuckled softly and pulled her wrist back "That's what some archaeologists believe. The Celts didn't leave many records so no one knows for sure."

He reached across the table, grasped her fingers in his warm palm and lightly tugged her hand toward him. "I've never seen a lovers knot that looked quite like this."

Danielle looked at him surprised and tried to pull her hand free without thinking but he tightened his grasp. "Well you won't find it in Maxim or Busty Asian Beauties or whatever it is you and Dean read."

He chuckled deep in his throat, a soothing sound, and let go "I guess that explains it." He looked into her eyes for several long seconds before looking down at his notebook.

Danielle's fingers were still warm from his touch and it took her a bit to refocus.

Just as they were about to begin their study session, a handsome young man walked up their table.

"Hey Dani, how's it going?"

Dani looked up at him and smiled at the boy "Ryan, are you stalking me?"

"No just running into you in a completely pre-meditated manner.." He said laughing he leaned against the table.

"Castiel, this is Ryan, he's in my English class," she introduced as Ryan offered his hand.

Castiel took it and shook his hand solidly. Dean always said you can determine a lot about a person by their hand shake. "Nice to meet you."

"And you too," Ryan replied before turning his attention. "Dani, are guys still playing the Roadhouse?"

Castiel looked up at the boy and how easily he flirted with Danielle. He thought he had done a good job but this boy seemed to have it down to an art form. A pang of unexpected jealousy hit him solidly in the chest as she smiled at the silly jokes the boy made. Apparently he was a musician as well that had much in common with her.

He watched her brown eyes sparkle as they chatted about an upcoming concert that they both planned to attend. Castiel observed the boy carefully. It was obvious that he intended to ask Danielle if she wanted to attend with him but couldn't seem to make the words come out. Perhaps it was Castiel's presence that deterred him. Should he get up and leave? Allow them privacy.

"Cas?" Dani's voice dragged him back from his thoughts. "Are you ok?"

He blinked away his thought trance and turned to face her "Sorry, I was spacing."

Both Danielle and the boy laughed, a sound that irritated him more than he could have thought possible.

He closed his book quickly and packed up. "I've gotta run."

"Run?" Dani asked confusedly "I thought we were going to study."

"Yeah, sorry about that.." Castiel replied,placing his messenger bag on his shoulder "I forgot I have to meet Dean."

"Dean?" Dani asked incredulous

"Yeah, I'll catch up with you later."

"Um, okay," she replied frowning.

* * *

Castiel moved quickly from the library to the apartment. He was lucky to find Dean lounging gracefully on the couch.

"Woah dude, where's the fire?" Dean asked sitting up quickly as he noticed the look of distress on Castiel's face.

"I left Danielle at the library," Castiel blurted.

"Um, ok?" Dean added the question at the end of the sentence

"She was flirting..with another guy."

Dean's eyebrow lifted but all he said was "Girls will tend to do that."

"I didn't like it, it was….it made me angry."

"I'm very sorry," Dean offered sincerely.

"Don't be sorry," Castiel replied "Help me fix it."

"I can't really help you there," Dean shrugged "You've got Meg sleeping in your bed at night. Not enough room for Dani there too. Although that would make an interesting threesome."

"Dean, focus."

"What? You can't say that you haven't thought of that once since Megalosaurus came back."

Castiel's straight face told Dean that he had not considered it.

"Ok so it's too crowded."

"Crowded?"

"Get rid of Meg," Dean said simply.

"I can't do that, Meg needs me."

"Come on, Cas, Meg doesn't need you. There isn't a word in the English language for what Meg needs."

"I don't understand."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Dean asked running a hand through his hair "Did you tell Dani that you were jealous?"

"No, I just..left. I didn't know what to say."

Dean looked at his friend "Have you ever told Dani anything about your feelings?"

"Well, no" Castiel admitted "I have no claim on her but I like her. I have always enjoyed how she likes me. She's a friend, always there when I need her but…."

"But what?" Dean asked curiously

"Meg."

Dean shook his head before lying back down on the couch "I don't know what to tell you, buddy. You can't have 'em both. Gotta spare a few for the rest of the guys in the world."

Castiel frowned "This is a mess."

Dean pursed his lips and then spoke "I'm glad you're finally seeing that. But it's a mess you made..only you can fix."

Castiel sighed "Says the boy who loves the girl in the bedroom next to his."

Dean rolled his eyes "That's different."

"How? You're pining for Jo but are too stubborn to admit it." Castiel pointed out.

"I'll admit it to you."

"A fair lot of good that does you."

"Don't you mean a fat lot of good that does you?"

"Same difference. Your trying to divert my attention from your situation."

"Dude, you came in here asking me for help. Not vice versa." Dean replied as he placed his arm underneath his head.

Castiel seemed to consider that before asking. "Where is Joanna anyway?"

Dean lifted the remote and flipped the channels "Out with Ruby. Last minute wedding stuff."

"Have you two talked since.."

"Nope,"Dean replied quickly "Nothing to talk about there. Give me my beer."

"Denial," Castiel said hoarsely as he handed the bottle over. "Dean Winchester's best friend."

Dean shrugged as he reached for his beer and pulled a sip "The only way to live."

Castiel peered at Dean with a look for despair on his face."What a fine pair we make."

Dean lifted the remote and changed the channel and they sat in silence for a bit. "Which guy was it? The one with the eyeliner?"

Castiel looked at Dean incredulously "You know the eyeliner dude?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders "He's a band groupie. I've seen him at the bar."

"Is he nice?" Castiel asked curiously and Dean bristled "Cas, man, he wears eye liner…guy liner…"

"What does that have to do with his personality?"

"What doesn't it have to do with his personality?" Dean asked as if that explained it all.


	19. Decoy

**Decoy- Paramore**

_Live your life inside a dream__  
__Time is changing everything__  
__Forgetting all the memories__  
__And I'm forced into you just cause you're into me__  
__Well hey, hey baby, it's never too late__  
__When I'm gone you won't remember a thing__  
__But I can't stay and you know I won't wait__  
__I was gone from the very first day__  
__You've never been so used as I'm using you, abusing you__  
__My little decoy__  
__Don't look so blue, you should've seen right through__  
__I'm using you, my little decoy_

Meg nervously fiddled with her keys before she finally got the courage to knock on the door. Her eyes darted around the porch waiting. She normally would just walk into her own house but she didn't know how Crowley would react.

It was her first time back since the night he stranded her after their fight.

Ringing the doorbell, it was only a few seconds before the door was opened. A very surprised young blond woman answered the door.

"Hi there," the young woman smiled brightly at her. "Can I help you?"

"No actually you can't," Meg frowned and she moved through the door.. Screw being mature. If Crowley was going to have another woman answer the door to her house, she sure as hell wasn't going to wait to be invited in.

The young woman followed closely behind her "I'm sorry, who are you? You just can't walk into my house."

Meg turned "YOUR house? Are you fucking kidding me? This is MY house."

The girl had enough sense to look embarrassed "Meg?"

"Yes, I'm Meg," she said moving down the hall "Where is Crowley?"

"This isn't a good idea," the girl babbled closely on her heels.

"You know what isn't a good idea? You following me down while I try to find my…"

"Megara." Crowley's British accent cut in.

"Don't fucking call me that. You know I hate it."

"Which is precisely the reason I did it."

"Crowley," the girl said, her voice clearly wavering.

"It's ok darling, why don't you go into the living room and wait for me there?" Crowley soothed.

The girl moved away, keeping her eye on Meg as she left. Meg half lunged at her as she came close and the girl scurried away faster.

"You have a lot of nerve," Meg began

"Why? Because I'm not sitting around waiting for you like your sappy angelic boyfriend. Sorry darling that was never an option."

Meg knew Crowley wasn't the faithful type but she had hope. "Where is Maisie?"

"You really think I'd let you see her? After you've run off and completely ignored her?"

"You left me stranded," she protested "You slapped me for getting in the middle of your deal? What was I supposed to do?"

"You were acting like a drunken fool. You could have gotten us both killed or at least arrested," he protested.

"And that gave you permission to hit me?" she argued "I'm your daughter's mother."

"Well you certainly haven't acted like a mother, so I'm not sure Margaret needs you in her life."

"And she needs you?" Meg retorted

"Of course she needs me, I'm her father."

"A father who happens to specialize in the trafficking of illegal substances."

Crowley scoffed "And her mother? Her mother can't seem to stay sober long enough to remember she exists?"

"That's not true," Meg replied. "I'm here for her.."

"And where exactly are you going to take her? To your angel's hovel? I don't think so..no daughter of mine…"

"You can't tell me I can't take my daughter."

"At this moment, you see I can…I can give Margaret stability, a home, family…."

"Family? Are you fucking kidding me? With that bimbo?"

"A fine upscale debutante my mother has been dying for me to meet and marry for years. I finally decided to take her up on the offer."

"You're fucking crazy if you think I'll let you keep me is she?" Meg asked getting closer to him, her voice lower.

"I can't say," he said not perturbed by her actions.

"Where is she?" she asked again as she began to move toward the bedrooms.

"She's not here," he announced.

"Then where is she?"

"She's with my mother for a few days."

Meg closed her eyes exasperated. His mother despised her and knew she would do her best to keep her away from her granddaughter.

"I'll be back for my daughter," she promised.

"Sure you will. I'll be here," he said smugly.

Meg held her tears at bay until she made it out of the door. It was a lost cause. She knew they'd keep Maisie hidden and there would be nothing they could do about it unless she decided to go to court. And to go to court against one of the richest families in Kansas, well Meg's entire past would be on trial. Unless she could prove she was sober…Unless she could prove she was settled down and stable…She could only thing of one way to do that.

Settle down with Castiel.


	20. DJ's Got Us Fallin In Love

**DJ's Got Us Fallin' in Love Again-Usher**

_So we back in the club__  
__With the bodies rockin from side to side, side, side to__side__  
__Thank God the week is done__  
__I feel like a zombie gone back to life, back,back to__life__  
__Hands up, and suddenly we all got our hands up__  
__No control of my body__  
__Ain't I seen you before?__  
__I think I remember those eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes__  
__Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again_

"Hey Jo! Are you ready to go? Come on…we're going to be late and you know who is going to be very upset with us…" Dean called through the door.

Jo grimaced at his voice but still kept throwing clothes through the air as she desperately searched for something to wear. First chance she got, she needed to hit the mall. But oh how she didn't really like to shop.

"Jo?" Dean's voice came through the door again. "We're really going to be late…can I come in?"

She sighed and ran a hand nervously through her tousled locks. "Yeah."

His head peeked in the door and within seconds, he was standing inside her room, smirking at the disaster area.

"Wow…it kinda looks like a tornado went through here or something…" He observed.

She sent him an evil glare and held up two tops. "Which one?"

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "I thought you and the girls had out picked something already."

She scowled and held up the horrid skirt dangling from her finger. "Well I had planned to wear this_. _But after thinking about it..there is absolutely no way in hell I am going to wear a skirt. I don't even think I'd know how to walk in one.."

"Once a tomboy, always a tomboy,"he nodded with a big smirk on his face. "I suppose I see your point…could be entertaining for us guys though."

She stuck out her tongue at him. "Funny..maybe I could wear this shirt if I wore a tank top underneath it…"

He laughed again and shook his head. "Well, I suggest you make up your mind soon because we need to get going."

Jo groaned in frustration and winced. "Alright, alright…just give me a minute."

After he quickly shut her door behind him, she hurried threw on the first black tank top she could find, then that stupid transparent top that she'd bought on a whim but hadn't worn, and then she settled on a pair of dark form-fitting jeans and her favourite black strappy heels.

Dean and Jo sat in silence during the ride in the Impala. They hadn't had much to talk about since the weekend before but to his credit, when they did interact, he seemed to be much easier to handle. She figured he was just keeping his distance after everything that had happened and she couldn't blame him for that. Their conversation in her bedroom had been their first real conversation since he had been bailed out of jail and if anything, it had been fairly pleasant.

Becky practically tackled them when they walked into the club. "You're here! Yay!"

"Yep, we're finally here." Jo said laughing.

"Oh, Deanl?" Ruby called, "I wanted to tell you that your man-whoring is to be put on hold tonight. You are not allowed to pick up any women this evening, per Bela."

The girls giggled when they heard Dean's exasperated sigh behind them.

"Ah! I am so…happy right now!"Bela shrieked when she saw them. "This is going to be the best night ever…I've already had three shots! Hahaha!"

When her eyes surveyed Jo' s outfit, Bela's lips curled downward. "Joanna? I thought you were wearing the skirt I gave you for your birthday…Jeans…seriously? I'm hurt."

"You'll live." Jo said smiling. "Besides I have my favourite strappy heels on that you gave me."

Bela's good mood faltered a bit when she saw Meg on Castiel's arm "Meg, who invited you?"

Meg laughed good naturedly "It's lovely to see your British finishing school manners are still intact, Miss Talbot."

Bela's eyes narrowed before Michael took her hand and shook his head softly. He smiled at her and she forgot all about Meg.

"Tequila…all around!" Gabriel said slapping his hand down on the bar catching the attention of the bartender.

"Ooo wait, make sure to get salt and limes too," his date, Naomi, called out behind him, jumping up and down beside him at the bar.

"Just for the girls, Garth…we men don't need training wheels…" Gabriel replied, garnering a smack on the head from his date. "Oww, babe, sorry…but it's true."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him, causing everyone else to break out into laughter. "Fine. I'll show you I can take it like a man. No salt or lime for me."

Garth just shook his head as he set out the shot glasses in front of the boys. Then he slid two limes and a salt shaker over to the girls before placing their shot glasses in front of them. He slid a shot glass cautiously over to Naomi, with his eyebrows raised in apprehension.

"You sure about this, Naomi? You're probably going to regret this later." Gabriel asked

"I don't care, I'm doing it," She stuck her tongue out at Gabriel before picking up her shot glass.

When all of them had their shot glasses raised in the air, Michael called for the best man to give a bachelor-bachelorette party toast.

Gabriel nodded to him, grinning from ear to ear. "Alright…here goes nothing. To my big brother and the love of his life…I wish you all the happiness in the world together…and more importantly bro, I'm just glad it's you getting married and not me."

"Hey…" Bela and Naomi replied in unison while the others chuckled and the boys dutifully took their shots.

As if on cue, the girls nodded to each other, licked the salt clean from their side of their palms, and took the shots in one gulp, quickly bringing the lime to their lips. Naomi, however, was not so lucky. As soon as the liquid entered her mouth, she spit it back out onto the bar.

"Ahhh! That was horrible! That was the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted! Ugh! Sick! Garth, can I have some water, please? I have to get this taste out of my mouth! Ahhhhh!"

While everyone else laughed hysterically behind her, Gabriel wrapped a comforting arm around her waist. "So I guess you're off of tequila for a while, right, babe?"

She just glared up at him, causing the others to grip their stomachs tightly with laughter. When she turned her evil glare on them, the laughter immediately ceased.

"Alright!" Bela yelled. "I'm ready for some karaoke. And I want my future husband to serenade me. Right now!"

Michael immediately had a horrified look on his face. "What? No way. I'm not going first…can I at least have a couple more drinks before…please?"

Bela smirked and slowly shook her head. "Nope. You told me you would do whatever I wanted tonight. Well, Michael Alexander Novak, my love, this is what I want."

He gulped loudly and quickly asked Garth for two more shots of tequila. When he had downed them within thirty seconds of each other, he smacked the shot glasses down forcefully on the bar. "Fine, Bela…what my lady wants, my lady gets."

Jo seemed to take this as her queue and she laughed "Michael, I'll help you out."

"THANK YOU!" he sighed and grabbed her by the hand.

Dean eyed their clasped hands suspiciously.

They sauntered hand in hand confidently over the DJ while everyone took their seat at the table, waiting for the show to start. They watched in amusement as Michael spoke to the DJ. The DJ nodded and smiled in their direction.

Michael briefly ran back stage and emerged with an acoustic guitar and pulled a stool stage front.

"Oh my God, what is he doing?" Bela asked the group. "Can he even play that thing?"

"Michael's been playing guitar since he was a teenager," Raphael offered, surprised Bela didn't know.

Jo pulled a stool from the back of the stage and pulled it close to the microphone stand. She lowered it.

Michael took the second microphone "Ladies and Gents, I'm Michael Novak. I'm just a lowly pre-med student here on campus so most of you may not know me. But tonight, I'm here celebrating my upcoming wedding to the most beautiful woman in the world. She wanted me to sing her a song but my singing voice really sucks…so I brought my good friend Joanna up here to help me out..Bela, this one is for you.."

Michael started out with the beautiful guitar riff.

Jo joined in smiling.

_You have my heart__  
__And we'll never be worlds apart__  
__Maybe in magazines__  
__But you'll still be my star__Baby cause in the dark__  
__You can't see shiny cars__  
__And that's when you need me there__  
__With you I'll always share__  
__Because__  
_  
_When the sun shines, we'll shine together__  
__Told you I'll be here forever__  
__Said I'll always be a friend__  
__Took an oath, I'm a stick it out till the end__Now that it's raining more than ever__  
__Know that we'll still have each other__  
__You can stand under my umbrella__  
__You can stand under my umbrella__  
_  
As the song continued, Ruby cocked her head to the side and watched Dean thoughtfully. He felt her eyes on him and he abruptly shifted his eyes to meet hers.

"What?" he snapped.

"Nothing." she smirked.

"Why were you staring at me then?" his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Ruby sighed and leaned over towards him so he could hear her. He looked at her almost afraid.

_These fancy things, will never come in between__  
__You're part of my entity, here for infinity__  
__When the world has took it's part__  
__When the world has dealt it's cards__  
__If the hand is hard, together we'll mend your heart__  
__Because__  
_

"You know, I never got the chance to tell you this because everything happened so fast and I know Jo probably didn't say much to you but…I wanted to thank you for beating the living shit out of Rick."

_When the sun shines, we'll shine together__  
__Told you I'll be here forever__  
__Said I'll always be a friend__  
__Took an oath, I'ma stick it out till the end_

His expression changed rapidly and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh…"

She smiled softly and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "You're a good guy to have around sometimes"

Dean cleared his throat in embarrassment. "I don't know about that."

"You really…you really care about her, don't you?" Ruby asked

_Now that it's raining more than ever__  
__Know that we'll still have each other__  
__You can stand under my umbrella__  
__You can stand under my umbrella_

He nodded slowly, carefully choosing his words. "She's one of my best friends."

She stared at him with her dark eyes. He felt naked under her stare. She nodded knowingly. "I know, Dean…I know."

_You can run into my arms__  
__It's okay don't be alarmed__  
__Come here to me__  
__There's no distance in between our love__So go on and let the rain pour__  
__I'll be all you need and more__  
__Because__When the sun shines, we?ll shine together__  
__Told you I'll be here forever__  
__Said I'll always be a friend__  
__Took an oath, I'ma stick it out till the end__Now that it's raining more than ever__  
__Know that we'll still have each other__  
__You can stand under my umbrella__  
__You can stand under my umbrella__It's raining__  
__Ooh baby it's raining__  
__Baby come here to me__  
__Come here to me__It's raining_

When Michael strung the last chords of the song, loud applause erupted. Bela had tears glistening on her lashes. Michael and Jo stood from their stools and he grabbed her hand and raised it, as Jo took a bow. When he dropped her hand, Jo said "Michael Novak everyone!" and more applause broke out.

As they approached the table, Bela attacked her groom. She grabbed him by the waist and captured her lips roughly on his, much to the chagrin of the other occupants of the table.

"Oh gross!" Raphael exclaimed.

Dean shook his head and gestured the boys to the bar. "Let's go get another. Leave this whipped dude here by himself."

Michael flipped them off, his lips still securely attached to Bela's as the others snickered and left the table.

When Dean got to the bar, he asked the bartender for a round of Apple Jacks.

"Eww" Naomi cried "I hate Jack Daniels."

"Ahh suck it up." Ruby told her "Take it like a man."

Everyone laughed.

Naomi stuck out her bottom lip but still took the shot glass that was offered to her. After they downed the shots, they smacked the glasses back on the counter.

"More!" she yelled with an evil smile.

"That's my girl. " Gabriel exclaimed "Who taught you how to drink like that?"

"You did, baby." Naomi laughed giving him a high five while Jo and Ruby rolled their eyes.

"You two are like twelve year olds." Sam said laughing.

After another round Ruby said "Let's dance, Sam." and dragged him to the dance floor.

Naomi jumped into Gabriel's arms and asked "Do you love me?"

He laughed and nodded as she wound her arms tightly around his neck. "You better believe it!"

This time, Meg rolled her eyes as the two moved in for passionate kiss.

She nudged Castiel with her elbow. "What is it with everyone tonight…you'd think there was a full moon or something…"

Jo laughed at Castiel's expression and took another sip of her drink. "Oh well…they're just in love…but then again what would _we_ know about anything like that."

For a minute, Dean and Castiel looked at each other with a hurt expression on their face and Jo tried to figure out what she'd said wrong but then they smirked at each other. When they sat down, Michael and Bela quickly untangled themselves from each other and smiled sheepishly at them.

"Sorry guys…" Michael blushed. "I guess we got a little carried away for a while."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you passed it along to Gabriel who is sucking off Naomi's face right now. And to Sam whose lips appear to be glued Ruby's face. Even Raphael's date is getting cozy."

And so the rest of the evening passed with all friend having fun enjoying their celebration.

When Bela could no longer stand and was hanging all over him, Michael decided to call it a night.

"Umm…guys…" he managed to gasp out into between kisses that Bela was planting. "I think we're going to get going."

He carried her out of the bar, with Bela's legs wrapped tightly around them with the others watched with amused grins.

"I think we should get going too" Naomi whispered seductively as she traced circles on Gabriel's leg. He gulped and immediately jumped up from the table, grabbing her hand to pull her to the exit.

"Bye guys!" Naomi called out as they practically sprinted to the door.

"So are you two next?"Dean asked Sam and Castiel.

Castiel looked at Meg for confirmation "I believe Meg is tired."

Dean frowned at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Party pooper," he called her.

"Well gee whiz Dean, you've made this so much fun for me, I'm actually sorry I have to leave," she deadpanned

"Lying..the most fun Meg can have with her clothes on,"Dean retorted.

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty, no need to fight," Jo added.

"Let's go Meg," Castiel said as he shook Sam's hand and planted kisses on Jo and Ruby's forehead. "I'll see you home, Dean."

Dean shook his head as Castiel and Meg walked away hand in hand.

"Yeah we're gonna head out too." Sam said leaning over to take Ruby's hand. "I have still have some studying to do."

"Drunk studying?" Jo asked

"Let me guess..Anatomy?" Dean asked laughing.

Poor Ruby giggled and blushed while giving Ruby a goodbye hug leaving Dean and Jo alone at the table.

Dean grimaced as he watched his brother and his girlfriend. "Ugh…all that making out was something I didn't really need to see that. I'm scarred for life."

Jo shrugged as she finished the rest of her drink, feeling slightly tipsy. "So what? They are all happy. Isn't that all that matters anyway?"

He nodded and nudged his head towards the door. "So do you want to get out here or what?"

She finished sucking down the rest of her drink and nodded. "Yeah, I'm feeling pretty drunk. I shouldn't have anymore or you might have to carry me out of here."

Dean smiled as Jo stumbled clumsily towards the door.

"Whoa!" she cried when Dean caught her before she made contact with the floor.

He helped her stand. "Geez, Jo, I can't take you anywhere, can I?"

She frowned and smacked him on the shoulder. "Shut up and take me home."

"Your wish is my command." He said seriously as he helped her stumble out of the bar.

"So are you sad?" she asked out of the blue.

He looked down at her and frowned. "Sad about what?"

Jo shrugged as he helped her steady herself. "Well, Bela said you couldn't take anyone home tonight…sorry for cramping your style."

He just laughed at her and smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, technically, I'm taking _you_ home."

She made a face and hit him on the shoulder. "That doesn't count! We live together!"

He shook his head and laughed again. "Let's just get you home, Jo."

"Ow!" Jo yelped as she tried to take off one of her heels.

Dean sighed and took her foot in his hand, quickly undoing the strap that she had been struggling with. He helped her sit down on her bed as she managed to get the other shoe off by herself. He pushed her gently onto the bed but she just huffed and leapt off the bed.

She kicked off her jeans, leaving them in a pile at his feet. She struggled to get off the tank top and shirt that she had been wearing at the same time.

"Ow! Dean…help me, I'm stuck."

Dean froze and shifted his eyes away from her as she stood in front of him in her underwear, with her arm caught in her shirt, partially exposing her black bra to him. He swiftly grabbed the fabric, trying to avert his eyes as much as possible from what was below him, and lifted the shirts over her head. He threw it gingerly onto the pile of her discarded clothes and raised an eyebrow when she fell back into bed.

"I'm so tired…" she mumbled sleepily.

He smiled gently and pulled her comforter up around her, tucking the edges around her. He reached out to smooth her hair but his hand jerked back when she opened her eyes.

"G'night Dean."

"Good night Jo."


End file.
